GRF Young Professionals Program
2022-2023 Term
First Meeting
The first meeting of the 2022-2023 term of the GRF Young Professionals Program, which aims to provide a platform for young professionals who are equipped with the resolve, background, and experience to contribute to the future of Turkey and the world, were held on March 13, 2022, at Koç Pera.
The meeting’s first presentation examined the nature of the existential risks humanity is currently faced with and may also face in the future. In addition to existing risks such as climate change, nuclear war and environmental disasters, the presentation outlined a number of future problems that developments in biotechnology and artificial intelligence may bring about. Discussions on the first presentation revolved around the potential effects of said risks, and how to best manage them.
The second presentation specifically focused on the future of artificial intelligence and discussed the risks and benefits associated with where this technology can go over the rest of the 21st century.
The meeting was attended by Zeynep Kahveci, graduate of GRF’s Young Scholars Program and GRF Community Programs Executive Committee Member. GRF President Ambassador (R) Selim Yenel joined the meeting virtually and gave a speech on the future of Turkey-EU relations under the current political conditions. GRF Vice-Chairman and Former Director-General of the OPCW Ambassador (R) Ahmet Üzümcü also joined the meeting virtually as a guest speaker to share with the participants his views on the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
The books used to frame the discussions during the meeting are as follows:
- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity – Toby Ord
- Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence – Max Tegmark