Organized since 2012 by Capital, Ekonomist and Start Up magazines, the International Economic Summit (UEZ 2026) is being held for the 15th time this year, bringing together distinguished politicians, business leaders, and academics from Türkiye and around the world. This year’s summit is held under the theme: ‘The Great Transformation: A Compass for the Transition to a Resilient and Sustainable Global System.’ The main sponsor of the summit is Tera Finance Group.
The fourth panel of the summit was titled ‘How Will Artificial Intelligence Transform Business Life and Industries?’ The panel was moderated by Aydem Energy CEO Serdar Marangoz and sponsored by sahibinden.com. In his opening remarks, Marangoz emphasized the broad impact of artificial intelligence and noted that the process of integrating AI into business operations has become increasingly critical for organizations.
‘WE DEVELOPED THE GPT OF CLASSIFIED LISTINGS’
Evaluatg the evolution of artificial intelligence, sahibinden.com CEO Burak Ertaş stated that the process, which began with machine learning and deep learning in 2018, has now reached a radical turning point.
Ertaş shared the following insights about the company’s AI journey:
“In 2018, machine learning and deep learning began to gain prominence. We have a deeply rooted culture: since we operate in technology, the risk of our business being disrupted by others is always high. In sectors like banking, it is not easy to replace an existing player, but in technology companies like ours, entry barriers are much lower. As AI accelerated, publicly traded tech companies experienced valuation losses of up to 90%. We constantly ask ourselves: ‘If a competitor entered today, what product or service would they build to surpass us?’ We are an organization of 1,000 people, about 350 of whom work in technology and software teams. However, this mindset is not limited to tech teams-it is embedded across the entire organization.”
Ertaş noted that the company invested early in image processing technologies, stating that applications such as identifying car models from photos have improved operational efficiency. He added that this technology has evolved to automate listing creation processes:
“Today, users can upload a photo and have most of the listing details generated automatically. This has been a significant transformation step for us.”
Highlighting the recent shift in focus, Ertaş said; “In the last 1 to 1,5 years, AI has reached a completely different level. It’s no longer just about efficiency, but about transforming the business model itself. We developed the ‘GPT of classified listings’ and launched it in February. Users can now search on the platform using natural language.”
Addressing the impact of AI on the workforce, Ertaş emphasized that this transformation will not necessarily lead to direct job losses, but will instead reshape how work is done. He noted that human resources will increasingly shift toward value-added, customer-facing roles.
‘THE REAL ISSUE IS TURNING TECHNOLOGY INTO VALUE’
IBM Türkiye General Manager Işıl Kılınç Gürtuna emphasized that artificial intelligence is not only a technological transformation but also a structural one. Gürtuna said; “The development of AI is not just a technological shift; it marks the beginning of an era where the ability to transform alongside a new infrastructure and a new normal comes to the forefront. Today, all CEOs acknowledge this reality, and the world is discussing it. However, the critical issue is not how fast we invest in technology, but how effectively we benefit from these investments and convert them into value.”
Gürtuna explained that transformation in the corporate world progresses in two phase; in the first phase, companies develop their own AI assistants to optimize internal processes; in the second phase, operational depth, automation, and decision-support systems come into play.
She also noted that Türkiye has strong potential in this transformation but warned that unplanned progress could pose risks despite the country’s fast adaptability.
‘THERE IS NO TURNING BACK FROM THIS TRANSFORMATION’
QNB Türkiye CEO Ömür Tan stated that they view artificial intelligence not merely as a technological disruption but as a multi-layered transformation wave, adding that there is no turning back from this process. Tan emphasized that this transformation has economic, cultural, and even geopolitical implications, and that recent global developments clearly demonstrate its scope.
He underlined that instead of trying to rediscover AI, adapting to it effectively is a more practical approach for businesses and processes. Speaking specifically about the banking sector, Tan noted that many technologies once considered innovative have now become basic requirements. He highlighted the transformation in chatbot systems, stating that reactive systems have been replaced by proactive structures that anticipate and guide customer behavior.