Izmir Technology, Science and Innovation
Festival (TECH Izmir) was launched with the participation of Izmir Governor Yavuz Selim Koşger, IZKA General
Secretary Dr. Mehmet Yavuz, Information Technologies and Communication Authority President Ömer
Abdullah Karagözoğlu, and bureaucrats, as part of the commemoration and celebration programs established for the 100th anniversary of Izmir's independence.
BTK President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu made important statements about technology and innovation regarding today and the future at the “Tech Izmir-Science, Innovation and Technology Festival” event.
Speaking at the opening of the program, Karagözoğlu emphasized the importance of technology in today's world, discussing its impact on our lives along with the changes and transformations it undergoes. Touching upon concepts such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, Metaverse, and Web3, Karagözoğlu expressed his pleasure that these topics were being discussed at the event.
Stating that the number of global internet users rose to approximately 5 billion at the beginning of 2022, covering about 62.5% of the world's population, Karagözoğlu said, “The time spent online increased to around 7 hours in 2022. Considering that an average person sleeps 7-8 hours a day, a normal internet user spends more than 40% of their waking time online,” thereby emphasizing the place of the internet in our lives. He also touched on the situation of social media users, noting that there are currently 4.6 billion social media users worldwide.
President Karagözoğlu: The Amount of Data, Called the 'Oil' of the New Age, Has Increased
President Karagözoğlu stated, “As a result of the quantitative increase in data volume, the importance of artificial intelligence in analyzing and utilizing big data that has entered our lives has increased and will continue to increase. All companies aware of this are now making investments in areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning. According to Dell Technologies' research, 80% of 3,800 companies worldwide plan to invest in artificial intelligence technologies in the next 5 years.”
Also touching upon the concept of the “Internet of Things” in the formation and development of artificial intelligence, President Karagözoğlu noted that the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, along with communication technologies as infrastructure, could be technologies capable of changing global balances. Referring to 5G-6G technologies in his speech, Karagözoğlu said, “Along with this technology, in addition to data transfer, a high-capacity, near-zero latency, and low-cost communication infrastructure will emerge. With 5G technology, autonomous vehicles, smart cities, remote surgeries, and robots taking an active role in working life will become widespread, opening the door to a new era for humanity.”
Stating that the importance of data security will greatly increase with this era, Karagözoğlu said that in areas such as public sector, finance, health, energy, and supply chains where personal data and many operations are conducted together, there is an even greater need for security, and added that “Blockchain Technology” aims to ensure data security and transparency at this point. Touching upon the Metaverse as well, Karagözoğlu said, “The Metaverse, expected to reach a market size of 28 billion dollars by the end of 2022, is a high-potential area where the largest technology companies compete with each other. With the shift of digital experiences to the Metaverse universe, a market ranging from 2 to 12 trillion dollars is expected to form depending on different scenarios.”
The Gaming Sector Has Also Transformed with the Internet
Addressing the youth in his speech, President Karagözoğlu said, “The internet, the most important component of the digitalization process, has undoubtedly caused a significant transformation in games as well. With the effective widespread adoption of internet technologies in our country, digital games have become one of the fields most sought after by young people today.” Conveying that the digital gaming sector reached 175.8 billion dollars in the global gaming market in 2021 with the pandemic period, Karagözoğlu stated that Turkey's gaming sector revenues rose from 880 million Dollars to 1.2 billion Dollars in 2021.
Announcing that the Information Technologies and Communication Authority, through Izmir Development Agency and BTK Academy, has signed a “Game Developer” program, Karagözoğlu said they would support young people and all kinds of studies in this field, expressing pride and happiness about it. Emphasizing the concept of domestic and national production at this point, Karagözoğlu said, “Through the trainings we have been organizing since 2017 under ‘BTK Academy,’ many of our young people have had and continue to have the opportunity to develop themselves in software and acquire new skills.” Explaining that with the “BTK Summer Camps” project, they have included middle school, high school, and university-aged youth in training networks in the field of coding, Karagözoğlu stated that their goal is to organize these camps in all 81 provinces of Turkey.
Information Technologies and Communication Authority President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu concluded his speech by saying, “I fully believe that science, technology, and innovation will develop even further with organizations similar to the event organized here today.”