The era of midterms and finals is over: Artificial intelligence must be in the curriculum!

Interview: Sercan Meriç

Ahmet Rasim Çağın, who brings the expertise he gained from the heart of technology, Silicon Valley, to his classes at Boğaziçi University, has compiled his knowledge on artificial intelligence in his book "Who's Afraid of Artificial Intelligence?" (Kim Korkar Yapay Zekadan). The book, brought to readers by Kırmızı Kedi Publishing, emphasizes that artificial intelligence is radically changing not only the business world but also the fundamental dynamics of education. While emphasizing that the traditional education model based on rote learning and exams is insufficient in the age of artificial intelligence, Çağın underscores that the curriculum must be urgently redesigned. Here are Çağın's striking findings regarding the future shaped by artificial intelligence…

Artificial intelligence is at the top of the topics we talk about most in the world and in Turkey. You also worked in Silicon Valley for many years. You are currently teaching artificial intelligence courses at Boğaziçi University. What will a reader who reads your book "Who's Afraid of Artificial Intelligence?" learn about artificial intelligence?

The reader will first acquire basic knowledge at the beginning of the book. That is, what is artificial intelligence and how does it work? After acquiring this basic knowledge, they will see what the basic types of artificial intelligence are. Immediately after that, since it is particularly related to business life, they will learn about its applications in business life. They will learn in which areas it is used in business life and how it is used. Later, we will conduct various case studies, benefiting from my experiences and also the experiences of my colleagues in Silicon Valley, as I am in dialogue with them. There are 12 case studies in the book. How artificial intelligence is used in various fields from the medical sector to finance will be addressed, and the reader will have gained experience in these subjects.

In the first sentence of the book, you say, "Artificial intelligence will not take your job," but many people carry this concern…

We are at least for now far from a world that will be managed only by computers or robots as we imagine them. There will definitely still be humans at the helm. The number of these people may be decreasing, but rather than artificial intelligence taking people's jobs away, people who can use artificial intelligence, understand artificial intelligence, and know how to adapt this artificial intelligence in business life will be taking jobs away from other people.

You observed new technologies in America for many years. What kind of perspective did you encounter when you came to Turkey in terms of artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence is talked about a lot in Turkey, but steps towards implementation are just beginning. I see this. I also have contacts in business life. There is a situation where they don't know exactly where to start. Like, how can it be implemented, where can work be done? There are more question marks in people's minds about these. This is the business side. The student side is a bit better. Since students are more familiar with computer technologies and artificial intelligence technologies, they know better how to use them and what to do.

How can we rank the sectors currently dominated by artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence is a somewhat horizontal technology. By this, I mean it can touch many different sectors at the same time. Based on my own experience, I see it being used most in financial fields. It might not be right to name names, but I know that some banks have serious investments in these matters and have even made notifications to the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP). Finance is, of course, number one. There are very serious studies in the medical field. This is used in various places, from increasing accuracy rates in medical imaging to drug development. Apart from this, of course, it can be used in the retail sector, especially in the renewable energy sector. I honestly cannot think of a sector that artificial intelligence does not touch.

You mentioned that students are good at this. How can artificial intelligence be integrated into the curriculum in terms of education?

There is no longer a situation like keeping artificial intelligence out of the curriculum. Let me give an example from myself: We used to hold midterms and finals. I personally no longer believe that such a thing is correct. Because the information is there. What we as instructors need to do is coaching. That is, to guide children, students in the right direction. The information is sitting there. We must channel them into how to process that information. For my part, I teach my classes by encouraging my students to do projects and use artificial intelligence technologies. Practice is completely important.

You have a definition of "a future shaped by intelligence." What kind of future is this and how is it different from the world we have lived in until today?

It's very interesting... We are encountering such a technology for the first time. That is, we were able to transfer our muscle power to machines before. We don't use our muscle power very much anymore. But until now, we had no opportunity to benefit from anything other than our intelligence, that is, our own human intelligence. For the first time with this technology, the opportunity has arisen to use our own intelligence more and to build on our intelligence. I think it is very important in this respect.

What are the ethical issues ignored regarding the artificial intelligence issue? What are the elements that need to be regulated in the coming period?

Especially regarding ethics, laws are lagging a bit behind, not only in Turkey but also in America and Europe. One of the reasons for this is that technology is advancing very fast. It is really advancing very fast. There is a part called training these models. While these models are being trained, of course, they are trained according to what they look at, and these things they look at, which are things on the internet, can be channeled towards a certain political view or a certain side. Therefore, making a completely neutral and independent artificial intelligence is somewhat left to humans. It depends on humans being trained in the right direction and this training being channeled in that direction. One of the most important problems from an ethical point of view is this for now. Studies are being done on this, but it needs to continue even more.

At this very point, the future of a world shaped by algorithms is actually being discussed. Will artificial intelligence technology deepen class inequality, or does it have the potential to eliminate it?

Yes, we are talking about two conflicting forces, and it has two sides. There is a possibility of deepening class differences even further. This has been experienced in every technological revolution. In the previous industrial revolution, industrialists emerged, and a working class was formed against them. However, besides this, many people can use this technology. That is, many people who are familiar with computers can use it, and when they start using it and learn, they can actually contribute to this ecosystem, to this economy with certain applications. And to the extent that they contribute, they can see this reflected as income for themselves. We are talking about the collision of two such different forces. Although this situation will deepen differences a little bit in the first stage – this is my personal opinion – in the long run, I estimate that it will bring everyone to an equal level. At least we need to work in this direction. That is, we should not ignore this.

The appearance of techno-elites at the inauguration ceremony at the beginning of Trump's second term probably brought these discussions to the fore a bit, right…

That is correct. There, of course, all the techno-elites are trying to gain an advantage in terms of their own business interests. Only the people standing in the background there, those at the inauguration ceremony, they are also rivals to each other. At the same time, America is, of course, a rival to China. They need the president's support on this issue. This did not go unnoticed, of course. Very serious investments are needed. The state needs to pave the way for the sector. While paving the way for the sector, it should not ignore people who are not in this sector. That's why the state is very important. That is, regulations, rules, and laws come into play here. We are seeing it by living it right now.

The book "Who's Afraid of Artificial Intelligence?" might be the first step for those who want to learn artificial intelligence. What do you suggest for what comes next?

Of course. This technology is now inevitable. We definitely need to work with this technology, we need to learn this technology. Firstly, there used to be a situation like this: "I will graduate from university, I will have a certain profession, I will do that profession until the end of my life, and then I will retire." There is no such thing anymore. One needs to learn constantly. This is a good thing, by the way. It was a good thing in the past too; now it has become inevitable. One needs to learn constantly, research constantly. My advice to readers and viewers is to definitely start somewhere. There are very good resources as open source on the internet; they should improve themselves from these. Later, if they can work, they should work within a certain framework of mentorship, learn from the open sources of universities, attend meetings on these topics... That is, they need to build on it constantly, slowly, without being in too much of a hurry but also without falling too far behind. Continuous learning and continuous change are the foundation of this business.