The Artificial Intelligence Society (Bilkent Yapay Zeka Topluluğu), in collaboration with Global Turks AI and sponsored by Türkiye İş Bankası AI Startup Factory, hosted an alumni panel on December 5. The event featured 13 distinguished Bilkent graduates who work at leading companies such as OpenAI, Google, Google DeepMind, Microsoft, Meta, NVIDIA, IBM and more.
This event celebrated Bilkent University’s pivotal role in shaping the future of artificial intelligence and brought together alumni, students and faculty for a unique platform of knowledge sharing and collaboration.
The panel commenced with opening remarks from Rector Prof. Kürsat Aydoğan, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Prof. Orhan Arıkan and Chair of the Department of Computer Engineering Prof. Selim Aksoy.
Rector Kürsat Aydoğan emphasized, “You will either be among those shaping the future with AI or live a life guided by it. Our alumni play a vital role in driving this transformation together.”
Dean Orhan Arıkan added, “AI presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity in education. To unlock this potential, we must come together with our alumni to collaborate, brainstorm and develop impactful projects.”
Panelists joined remotely to share their expertise and provide insights into cutting-edge research, real-world applications and entrepreneurial opportunities in AI. Topics ranged from generative AI breakthroughs and multi-agent systems to fostering a robust AI ecosystem in Türkiye.
Research Insights and Opportunities
Ayhan Sebin (IBM Research) highlighted the significance of building global AI bridges, calling the panel a “milestone” in establishing Türkiye and Bilkent as leaders in AI innovation. Other notable research contributions included:
- Murat Yeşildal (OpenAI): Long-term planning and multi-modal learning for autonomous agents.
- Sercan Arık (Google): Multi-agent systems, transformer alternatives and task-specific model customization.
- Beliz Günel (Google DeepMind): Cost-efficient models, agentic memory and effective evaluation methods.
- I. Zeki Yalnız (Meta): Reasoning and responsible AI to advance foundation model-driven robotics.
- Can Koyuncu (Meta): AI applications in healthcare, such as cancer prognosis, to enable personalized treatment.
- Beyza Ermiş (Cohere): Small, multi-modal, multilingual models, especially for low-resource languages.
- N. Murat Arar (NVIDIA): Infusing generative AI into gaming, a growing market with strong potential in Türkiye’s ecosystem.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The panel also showcased entrepreneurial pathways for AI-driven solutions. Alumni discussed key opportunities in areas such as mobile platforms, fintech, data infrastructure and public sector AI.
- Atila Orhon (Argmax): Infrastructure as a major monetization opportunity, including models optimized for smaller devices and edge.
- Gökhan Eğri (Brainbase): A paradigm shift from software as a service to service as software, transforming traditional services to optimize bottom lines.
- Mustafa Sakalsız (Peaka): Data infrastructure and custom models. Upper layers are less defensible unless backed by a unique go-to-market strategy.
- Halit Akar (Microsoft): Automating domain-specific workflows with human-in-the-loop, working backward from pain points.
- Türker Coşkun (C3 AI): Vertical B2B applications, combining industry expertise with AI agents to unlock potential unicorns.
Recordings of the panel discussion are available on Global Turks AI’s LinkedIn and YouTube pages.
You can watch from here: https://youtu.be/RCca656qhUM
Stay tuned for more transformative events and opportunities shaping the future of AI.
Global Turks AI: https://globalturksai.org/
Bilkent AI Society: https://ais.bilkent.edu.tr/
