Last week, we welcomed a delegation of academic experts from South Africa to Switzerland for a four-day exchange focused on research, collaboration and the responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).

The delegation brought together Prof. Dr. Marié Hattingh, Senior Lecturer at the University of Pretoria (UP); Dr. Rouxan Fouche, Lecturer of Computer Science and Informatics at the University of the Free State (UFS); and Dr. Wynand Nel, Senior Lecturer at Akademia. The visit was funded by Swiss TPH.

Human Trust in Generative AI

The visit formed part of our ongoing collaboration within the Swiss Leading House Africa sponsored research project: “Human Trust in Generative AI: Building Future Competencies in Switzerland and South Africa.” The project examines how students perceive the trustworthiness of GenAI and how these perceptions shape their use of AI in higher education. A particular focus is on strengthening GenAI literacy and developing calibrated trust, with the aim of supporting responsible use of AI and creating sustainable opportunities for academic collaboration between Switzerland and South Africa.

Our approach:

1. A survey in Switzerland and South Africa on what drives students’ perceptions of GenAI trustworthiness
2. An interactive workshop built on those findings, piloted in existing modules in both countries
3. Evaluation, and in the long term an intercultural remote learning unit in the curriculum

During the visit we held workshops to define and refine the questionnaire instruments and to plan the next steps.

A Beneficial Collaboration Between Switzerland and South Africa

We would like to sincerely thank Prof. Dr. Marié Hattingh, Dr. Rouxan Fouche, and Dr. Wynand Nel for their visit, their valuable contributions and the inspiring exchange throughout the program. An additional thanks goes to the Swiss Leading House Africa, mandated by SERI and hosted by Swiss TPH, for supporting Swiss and sub-Saharan African research cooperation.