TUSIAD Digital Turkey Conference has started

The second 'Digital Turkey Conference', organized by TUSIAD, has started online. Digital transformation in the world reshaped after the pandemic is discussed from a broad perspective at the conference, which was held with the theme of 'Not The Rules, The Game Itself Changed'.

The opening speeches of the meeting were made by the Chairman of Board of TUSIAD Simone Kaslowski and TUSIAD Board Member and Chairman of the Digital Turkey Roundtable Serkan Sevim. And the keynote speeches of the conference will be made by Sabanci Foundation's Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Board of Sabanci Holding Guler Sabanci, Chairman of the Board of Koc holding Omer M. Koc, and Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Ekrem Imamoglu. The conference will last all day with various panels.

Digital Turkey Conference is organized by TUSIAD for the second time in order to contribute to the global competitiveness of Turkey in its journey towards an information society. The main elements of the transition period such as new business models, data, green and digital twin transformation, human resource competence, e-marketplaces, technology trends of the future in a world whose dynamics are changing rapidly with digital technologies accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic are discussed in the conference.

"TO ACTUALIZE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION POTENTIAL WE NEED A BROAD VISION"

Making the opening speech of the conference, Chairman of Board of TUSIAD Simone Kaslowski said, "We are happy to meet you at the second conference, where we will discuss digital transformation in a comprehensive and in-depth manner. The Covid-19 outbreak and, unfortunately, the extreme climate events that also we are experiencing in our country as well, show the critical importance of being prepared for risks and crises on a global scale. Today, we know that success will be sustainable if countries review their development strategies and structure them to adapt to changing conditions. The degree of digitization of countries is the most fundamental factor affecting competitiveness. Due to our dynamic population structure, the increase in the use of Information Technologies, and the development of mobile applications; we have the potential to make strong progress in the digital transformation period. To actualize this potential; We need a broad vision that includes elements such as improving the quality of education, protecting competent human resources, strengthening broadband infrastructure, supporting SMEs' use of technology."

"DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES CAN REDUCE GLOBAL CARBON EMISSIONS BY UP TO 15 PERCENT"

Saying that one of the most important needs is undoubtedly technology in order to adapt to the renewed global order, Kaslowski continued as follows:

"Producing and using next-generation technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, machine learning, blockchain; Regardless of the sector and scale, it becomes a catalyst in increasing productivity and added value. 'Big data' plays a critical role in capturing the dynamics of the era. The Internet is transforming into an immersive universe with the 'metaverse' that gives the user a real experience beyond just watching and tracking. It is obvious that new generation technologies such as big data and advanced materials play an important role in the fight against climate change as well as increasing efficiency in production. According to a study by the World Economic Forum, digital technologies can reduce global carbon emissions by up to 15 percent. Supercomputers help improve the design of wind turbines or find the most suitable site for energy efficiency. Artificial intelligence technology enables farmers to reduce the use of pesticides and fuel in agricultural production. Smart cities offer a more resource- and energy-efficient, safer life. This means an overall increase in quality of life."

"THE FOCUS OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IS HUMAN"

Noting that new technologies, new business models, and digital transformation have also transformed antitrust law, Simone Kaslowski said, "With the expansion of data-driven markets, the intersection of fields such as antitrust law and data protection, technology law will increase. The production of technologies in our country is critical for the development of our industry, the global competitiveness of our economy, and our employment policies. It is also necessary to bring digital literacy to all segments of society, and to eliminate the differences between genders and regions in accessing technology. We should not forget that the focus of digital transformation is human. We want our dynamic labor force and entrepreneurs to strengthen the development of our country with innovative business models and in the most competent way, and we continue our work with this focus."

"DIGITALIZATION HAS GAINED A GREAT MOMENTUM WITH COVID"

Speaking at the conference, TUSIAD Board Member and Chairman of the Digital Turkey Roundtable Serkan Sevim said, "Digitalization, which has been affecting business life for the last 20 years, has gained great momentum with the effect of Covid-19. The pandemic process has dramatically demonstrated the need for transformation, regardless of industry and scale. Again in this period, we observed that the transformation should be in our perspectives as well as technology infrastructure investments. While sectors producing new generation technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, blockchain, big data, and the internet of things are emerging, we observe that productivity, innovation, and added value increase in the process with the use of these technologies by conventional companies. The effective use of digital technologies by reviewing traditional business methods has developed innovative solutions to the same problems."

"BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE GLOBAL GDP BY 1.76 TRILLION DOLLARS BY 2030"

Serkan Sevim continued his words as follows:

"Changes in production and supply processes and the rapid differentiation of customer expectations have once again shown the importance of the need for secure, uninterrupted, sustainable, and high-quality digital infrastructure everywhere. It is estimated that the revenue of the artificial intelligence market, which includes software, hardware, and service segments, was around 281 billion dollars globally in 2020, reaching 320 billion dollars in just one year. Blockchain technologies, which trigger transformation in many areas from customs processes to logistics, are expected to increase global GDP by 1.76 trillion dollars by 2030."

"NUMBER AND SIZE OF THE DATA PRODUCED IS INCREASING EVERY DAY"

"According to a study by IDC, it is predicted that there will be 55.7 billion devices globally by 2025, of which 75 percent will be connected to an IoT platform. The number and size of the data produced are increasing day by day. As the business world, we should be ready and protected against risks while taking advantage of the opportunities of technology and digitalization" said Serkan Sevim, noting that smart devices connected to the Internet generate huge amounts of data.

"THE SOFTWARE SECTOR IS AT THE TOP RANGE WITH 81 PERCENT IN TERMS OF ADDED VALUE"

Stating that the software industry provided the birth of many digital industries, Sevim concluded his words as follows:

"The volume of the software industry and the digital industries it interacts with is expected to increase from 2.5 trillion dollars in 2019 to 4 trillion dollars in just 5 years. In addition, according to the latest researches, the software industry, which is the main stage of digital, ranks at the top with 81 percent in terms of added value. It also directly contributes to 61 of the 64 sectors examined. For all these reasons, we consider it very important for our companies in the software industry to work with an export-oriented 'domestic and global' vision and to bring this vision to our youth. With the rapid rise of new generation technologies, a radical transformation process is taking place in the professions of the future, as in the way of doing business, so the skills and competencies we need are transformed simultaneously. The presence of qualified human resources equipped with digital skills and competencies is a driving force in digital transformation."

"WE ARE IN A PERIOD WHERE DIGITALIZATION IS GAINING IMPORTANCE"

"2021 has been a tough year. We are in an era where digitalization gains importance. Today, I would like to share with you some of our evaluations on the transformation of philanthropy in the digitalized world. The digital world we live in allows benevolence to reach its goals by crossing borders. We see that young people adapt to the digitalized world in the fastest way. The main focus of the Z generation is technology and digitalization. It is stated that the main characteristic of this generation is to seek the truth. In the research conducted in Turkey between the ages of 15-23, 78 percent of the youth are interested in environmental issues, while 73 percent prefer environmentally friendly brands" said Sabanci Holding Chairman of the Board Guler Sabanci expressing that the whole world is going through change and transformation.

Guler Sabanci continued her words as follows:

"You can easily access the growing number of global good examples in the field of volunteering from anywhere in the world. During the pandemic period, young people made shopping with people who lived in their own neighborhoods and could not leave their homes, with the means of communication they established among themselves. Thus, they produced practical quick micro solutions for the society they are in. These young people showed a very valuable example of solidarity. Thanks to the developing technologies, we see that we can produce innovative solutions to social problems. We benefit from the power of technology in preventing violence against women, accessing education, solving problems in the field of disability, and combating climate emergencies. We should make more use of technology."

The session titles of the conference, which can be watched on TUSIAD's Youtube and Twitter channels, are as follows:

"Pioneering the Future: Data and Analytics, Future of Digital Human Resources in Turkey, Contribution of e-Marketplaces to SME, Innovation, and Economy, New Center of Commerce: Online Marketplaces, Growing While Transforming: Future Technology Trends, Data Protection and Competition Law in the Digital Economy, Initiatives Accelerating Digital Transformation, European Union Digital Single Market and Its Global Implications, Women Transforming Technology."

Kaynak: Demirören Haber Ajansı / Güncel