04/05/2026
AI.SU, a videocast/podcast series created by Melisa Sabancı Tapan, a member of the Sabancı Holding Board of Directors and the Sabancı University Board of Trustees, has launched. The platform, which views artificial intelligence not merely as a technological advancement but as a social and existential transformation, seeks to answer the question: "What do we want to preserve as humans amidst the rapid pace of technology?"
Melisa Sabancı Tapan, a member of the Sabancı Holding Board of Directors and the Sabancı University Board of Trustees, who views the current state of artificial intelligence systems not merely as a technological leap but as an existential threshold, is leading the way in transforming academic knowledge in this field into societal benefit. AI.SU, prepared under the leadership of Melisa Sabancı Tapan and with the participation and support of Sabancı University President Prof. Dr. Yusuf Leblebici, positions itself as an initiative that opens up discussions on value systems, decision-making processes, and human relations in the age of artificial intelligence through the lens of different disciplines. The first output of this initiative, a videocast/podcast series, was launched on April 30th. Prepared with a language free from technical jargon, the series aims to make artificial intelligence discussions more accessible to a wider audience.
“The issue isn’t just how far technology has advanced, but what we will preserve as humans within this speed.”
Drawing attention to the fact that the relationship between artificial intelligence and society is a critical threshold from both a human and existential perspective, Melisa Sabancı Tapan said: “Today, when we talk about artificial intelligence, we often talk about speed, efficiency, and capacity. However, the real issue is what we will preserve as humans within this technological transformation. We need to talk about whether we can carry empathy, compassion, fairness, human dignity, and our capacity to form genuine connections together. That’s why I value AI.SU. Our aim is to make artificial intelligence an issue that not only experts but also broader segments of society can understand, follow, and think about. Because remaining human is possible not only by developing technology but also by deciding together what kind of future we want to build with it.”
Artificial intelligence from economics to psychology, from popular culture to daily life
Artificial intelligence should not be seen as a distant and abstract concept belonging only to the world of technology; AI.SU, which addresses artificial intelligence as a tangible transformation affecting our decisions, relationships, habits, and outlook on the future in daily life, features guests selected from among those who will make artificial intelligence visible through its real impacts in different fields. Within this broad framework, ranging from economics to psychology, space science to popular culture, the guests of AI.SU include internationally prominent figures such as Dr. Ece Kamar, Microsoft Corporate Vice President (CVP) and Managing Director of AI Frontiers Lab; Prof. Dr. Avi Loeb, Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University; Bünyamin Aydın, Founder of Les Benjamins; Prof. Dr. Özgür Demirtaş, Head of the Finance Chair at Sabancı University; and Prof. Dr. Özlem Ayduk, Psychologist and Faculty Member at the University of California Berkeley.
AI.SU is available to viewers through Sabancı University's YouTube, Spotify, and Meta accounts. You can follow the content via the links below.
Episode 1
