State Strategy is Essential in Artificial Intelligence and Software!
![]()
The Wide Angle program prepared by the Ticaret Communication and Media Center (TİMM) operating within the Faculty of Communication of Istanbul Ticaret University and broadcast on Youtube hosted Prof. Dr. Abdul Halim Zaim, Head of the Software Engineering Department of the Faculty of Engineering. Prof. Dr. Zaim analyzed the concept of artificial intelligence from the point of view of engineers and software developers.
Prof. Dr. Zaim emphasized that raising more software developers in Türkiye, keeping trained software developers in the country and increasing the use of domestic and national software in the field of cyber security is a national security issue, and that cyber security is one of the most important issues of today and the near future. Prof. Dr. Zaim said, “The state should have a comprehensive main strategy and planning regarding software and cyber security, from education to implementation” and also talked about the projects carried out by Istanbul Ticaret University in this area.
“ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS A FORMIDABLE POWER, BUT THERE IS STILL NO REGULATION IN PLACE TO CONTROL THIS POWER”
Prof. Dr. Zaim stated that artificial intelligence is evolved further with each passing day, however that the laws, rules and regulations cannot keep up with the pace of evolution. Therefore, Prof. Dr. Zaim therefore said that it is inevitable for people to be victimized until the necessary regulations are made.
Evaluating the proposal to stop the developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence in the U.S. until the necessary regulations are made, Prof. Dr. Zaim said, “It is not possible to stop the technological developments in this field. The development of technology is a multifaceted phenomenon. Hundreds of studies are carried out simultaneously. Therefore, in such a fiercely competitive environment where technology wars are taking place, you cannot just stop technological advances.”
“CHATGPT IS NOT THE MOST POPULAR AREA OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE”
Expressing that artificial intelligence is encountered in many areas in daily life, yet it was ChatGPT that has rapidly become popular, Prof. Dr. Zaim said:
“This is a very good technology, but it is important why and how you use it, and whether you give references when using it. If ChatGPT was used as a source, it should be referenced at the end of the article. ChatGPT has been started to be referenced as a second author in the articles published abroad.” Stating that this issue has also been discussed as a matter of privacy, Prof. Dr. Zaim said, “In my opinion, ChatGPT does not seem to violate personal privacy. As a reason, ChatGPT compiles public data and produces general data. Nevertheless, while doing this, of course, it doesn’t get permission from the people whose data it uses. This is where the privacy issues come into play. Finding a solution to these issues will serve as a game-changer. With the questions you ask ChatGPT, you both teach and guide it.”
Expressing that software commonly used in academia to detect plagiarism fall short in case of Turkish sources, Prof. Dr. Zaim noted that the plagiarism software perform better in English sources depending on the database being scanned. Emphasizing that things got even more difficult with the introduction of ChatGPT, Prof. Dr. Zaim underlined that ChatGPT is difficult to detect because it scans not only databases but also social media and other areas of the internet.
“DEEPFAKE IS A DANGEROUS ZONE”
Prof. Dr. Zaim also referred to DeepFake technology and stated that it poses a very serious danger. Prof. Dr. Zaim continued his words as follows:
“What’s scarier is that deepfake is still in its infancy. It will continue to evolve and learn over the years. As it learns more, it will become more difficult to distinguish the images and videos produced with deepfake from the real ones. It is really difficult to regulate this matter with regulations. It is also very difficult to develop a software that can distinguish the fake images and videos from the real ones. A software that can distinguish fake images and videos from the real ones is possible only if the fake images and videos are produced according to a standard pattern. On the other hand, even if such software could be developed, the fake news would reach millions before the software could catch fake images and videos. In such cases, the truths that come out later do not spread as fast as the fake ones. It seems that there will be no choice but to believe the statements of real persons.”
“SOFTWARE ARE NOT DOMESTIC”
Expressing that the concept of deep learning has come to the fore and has begun to touch various fields, Prof. Dr. Zaim said that deep learning has started to be used extensively in the field of finance. Underlining that deep learning is also used in robotic vehicles such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), Prof. Dr. Zaim said, “This technology needs to be developed. For example, there is still a great need for devices that can monitor under the debris and provide communication. Studies on devices that work under the sea and can transmit snapshots are carried out intensively.”
Expressing that Türkiye is a country that attaches importance to domestic and national production in every field, yet the software used in the field of cyber security is mostly not domestic, Prof. Dr. Zaim explained the risks posed by this situation. Prof. Dr. Zaim said, “Unless we produce these software ourselves, we become susceptible to these risks.”
“STATE STRATEGY AND MIND IS NEEDED”
Prof. Dr. Zaim stated that the software in the field of cyber security should be developed with a state strategy from a superior perspective and that it is important that the state give more incentives in this field. Prof. Dr. Zaim continued his words as follows:
“It is not enough to just produce the software, it also needs to be used in public sector. Unless it is used in the public sector, the software developed at small and medium enterprise (SME) scale is not widely used and cannot compete with others. Seventy percent of the databases are of U.S. origin. You can develop open source database systems, but we do not have a database of our own. So it does not matter much to run a database that doesn’t belong to you. Therefore, as long as we do not domesticate these areas, we cannot fully ensure our own security.”
Stating that Istanbul Ticaret University attaches great importance to developing software developers within the scope of various projects, Prof. Dr. Zaim said that today, many institutions carry out studies in this field and coding has started to be taught at the elementary school level. Prof. Dr. Zaim emphasized that although it is gratifying that there is a great mobilization in education, the staff trained within the framework of the main strategy could not be evaluated effectively. Prof. Dr. Zaim has said, “We train a large number of middleware programmers, but the number of specialist software developers in any given field is low, we have shortcomings in specialization. Hence, the state needs to direct specialization with a strategy”.
“WE ARE NOT HOPELESS, OTHERWISE WE WOULDN’T BE IN ACADEMIA”
Prof. Dr. Zaim said, “We have drawn attention to our shortcomings, but we are never hopeless. The aim of being an academician is to raise young people and we still have the hope that we will raise a generation that will shape the future with strong moral and scientific aspects.” Prof. Dr. Zaim emphasized that the number of research assistants at universities should increase. Giving examples from the time he was in the U.S., Prof. Dr. Zaim underlined the lack of team play in universities in Türkiye and said, “There are many faculty members, but few research assistants. Therefore, it is not possible to establish a large enough team to work on a project. Generally, projects are progressing through a teacher and a student. This situation also needs to evolve and transform.”
Click the following link to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9X2Ynn_xsY
News report: İsmail Mücahit Aydemir
