Information Technologies and Communications Authority President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu participated in the "Artificial Intelligence Camp" from the Thematic Winter Camps organized for the 8th time by the General Directorate of Credit and Dormitories Institution of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The camp held in Kocaeli brought together young people interested in artificial intelligence technology with experts in the field.
Speaking at the camp where young people had the opportunity to develop their skills in the field of artificial intelligence, President Karagözoğlu stated that artificial intelligence is referred to as the technology of the future. Karagözoğlu said, “Artificial intelligence is a technology that has been developing rapidly in recent years and is showing its impact in every area of our lives. It is a branch of science that enables machines to think and learn like humans. Today, it is used in many areas such as health, finance, transportation, production, and security, and is accepted as the technology of the future.”
Emphasizing that the artificial intelligence revolution will be a major turning point for humanity, Karagözoğlu said, “For every sector that senses artificial intelligence will create a transformation, it has become a necessity to keep up with the rapid developments in the artificial intelligence field and to integrate artificial intelligence-based technological solutions into business processes.”
Karagözoğlu stated, “Artificial intelligence studies have gained significant momentum in many different fields today. From intelligent education systems to autonomous driving systems, from real-time translation systems to information security, the impact of artificial intelligence is now felt in every sector. Applications for diagnosis and treatment in the health field, the use of artificial intelligence in the legal field, applications that develop marketing strategies in the trade sector, and artificial intelligence applications in areas such as banks, insurance companies, and consulting firms in the service sector have now become of great importance.”
Stating that studies are being conducted by relevant institutions and organizations in Turkey both for the development of technology and for the formation of public strategies on this matter, Karagözoğlu said, “In the ‘Government Artificial Intelligence Index’ report published by Oxford Insight in 2023 to reveal how ready governments are in terms of using artificial intelligence in public services, 193 countries were examined. Our country ranks 47th in the general ranking of this index, while it ranks 2nd among South and Central Asian countries.”
Noting that important steps have been taken in Turkey in the public sector, private sector, and research world regarding artificial intelligence, Karagözoğlu said, “According to TÜİK 2023 data, 18.5% of enterprises with 250 or more employees use artificial intelligence. In addition, TÜBİTAK BİLGEM Artificial Intelligence Institute supports 17 projects under the ‘Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem 2023 Call’ in five determined areas.”
President Karagözoğlu: We Aim to Turn Our Country into a High-Tech Production Hub
Stating that they continue their work in coordination with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure with the aim of preparing Turkey for the digital world of the future, President Karagözoğlu said, “We know that the foundations of the future can only be shaped through education. In this context, with our source of pride, BTK Academy; we prepare our young people for the digital world of the future by offering free online training as well as face-to-face training at our main campus center on topics such as artificial intelligence, coding, programming, software, etc., to a large number of our youth who cannot access the trainings here.”
Karagözoğlu stated that there are currently over 1 million 970 thousand registered users at BTK Academy, which started operating under BTK in 2017. “At the academy, online training is provided in 10 main categories, 246 topics, totaling 132,512 minutes.”
Emphasizing their goal of turning Turkey into a high-tech production hub, Karagözoğlu concluded his speech by saying, “With the breakthroughs we will make in innovative technologies such as cybersecurity, big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain required by the digital age, we are determined to reach the ‘Digital Turkey’ goal.”