Summary

The Federal Court (BGer) is already using Artificial Intelligence in several areas and relies on its own infrastructure as well as internally developed solutions. However, an audit by the Federal Audit Office (EFK) shows that concrete efficiency gains from these AI applications have not been demonstrable to date. Despite initial productive deployments, the actual benefit is difficult to measure.

Persons

  • Dajana Dakic (Author)

Topics

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Judiciary
  • E-Government
  • Federal Court
  • Financial Audit

Clarus Lead

The EFK's finding raises important questions about digital transformation in the public sector. While authorities are increasingly investing in AI technologies, many institutions lack reliable success metrics. For the Federal Court as Switzerland's highest judicial authority, this represents a credibility gap: investments without demonstrable effects jeopardize confidence in technology-driven reforms and complicate future budget decisions.

Detailed Summary

The Federal Court is pursuing a strategy of technological independence. Rather than relying on external providers, the institution develops AI solutions internally and operates its own infrastructure for this purpose. This approach offers control and data protection but requires significant resources.

The EFK audit uncovers a central weakness: despite several productive AI applications, there is a lack of meaningful metrics for performance measurement. The "concrete benefit" remains "difficult to measure to date." This points to insufficient benchmarking procedures and missing baseline data – problems that not only affect the Federal Court but characterize the entire public administration.

Key Points

  • The Federal Court is already using AI in several operational areas
  • Own infrastructure and internal development were deliberate strategic choices
  • Demonstrable efficiency gains are absent according to the EFK audit
  • Lack of measurability complicates future investment decisions

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence/Data Quality: Which specific AI applications did the EFK audit, and according to which metrics (time savings, cost reduction, error rates) was the benefit measured?

  2. Conflicts of Interest: To what extent could the internal development of AI solutions lead to distortion in objective benefit assessment – because departments must justify their own investments?

  3. Causality: Are missing efficiency gains due to the AI deployment itself, or does the problem lie in insufficient process optimization before AI implementation?

  4. Feasibility: What concrete steps does the EFK recommend to equip future AI projects with measurable success targets?

  5. Comparison: How do other Swiss federal agencies or foreign supreme courts perform when measuring AI benefits?

Source Directory

Primary Source: No Efficiency Gains Through AI at the Federal Court – Inside IT, May 6, 2026

Verification Status: ✓ May 6, 2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial Responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-Check: May 6, 2026