The 7th Digital Global Future Conference Organized at CIU

The 7th Digital Global Future Conference, organized by the School of Applied Sciences at Cyprus International University, was held with strong participation from academics, students, and international attendees. This year’s conference, themed “Resilient Future: Artificial Intelligence, Sustainability, and Global Transformation,” comprehensively addressed topics such as artificial intelligence, sustainability, and digital transformation.
The opening speech of the conference was delivered by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Damla Karagözlü, Director of the School of Applied Sciences. Karagözlü stated that the conference provided an interdisciplinary platform and noted that a total of 28 presentations were delivered with the active participation of undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students. It was emphasized that the hybrid-format event strengthened international academic interaction by bringing together participants from different countries.

Speaking at the conference, Rector Prof. Dr. Erbuğ Çelebi highlighted that artificial intelligence is transforming the ways people live, learn, and work, and stressed that the concepts of sustainability and resilience have become strategically important in today’s world. Çelebi also noted that the student-centered structure of the event supports students’ active involvement in knowledge production processes.

One of the invited speakers, Prof. Dr. Orhan Gemikonaklı, shared insights on the role of artificial intelligence and data science in global transformation. Gemikonaklı stated that universities are evolving from institutions that merely transfer knowledge into structures that prepare students for a constantly changing and uncertain future.
Another invited speaker, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ana Torres, focused on the use of artificial intelligence in educational processes. She pointed out that AI is currently included only implicitly in most curricula, creating a significant gap. Torres emphasized the need to improve AI literacy and to integrate these technologies into educational processes through an ethical and informed approach.

Throughout the conference, undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students presented current research in fields including artificial intelligence, data science, information systems, digital transformation, cybersecurity, sustainability, and educational technologies. A strong environment of interaction was created between academic knowledge production and practical applications. The event concluded with a group photo session involving all participants.