Turkish Young Academy at the IAP General Assembly in Cairo

Turkish Young Academy at the IAP General Assembly in Cairo

The Turkish Young Academy actively participated in the events held as part of the 2025 InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) Triennial Conference and General Assembly in Cairo, Egypt.

During the session titled 'Science Diplomacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Bridging Disciplines, Borders and Generations”, which was moderated by TÜBA President Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker. A presentation was delivered by Turkish Young Academy President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mürsel Doğrul. The session addressed the transformation of science diplomacy in the AI era, emphasising the growing importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and intergenerational engagement.

In his presentation, 'AI, Scientific Integrity and the Future of Science: A Young Academy Perspective', Dr. Doğrul emphasised how artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the daily research practices of early-career scientists. He noted that, although AI offers significant opportunities to enhance research capacity, it also introduces risks relating to ethics, transparency, data security and inequality. Stressing that AI should not be approached solely from a risk-oriented perspective, Doğrul emphasised the importance of evaluating its potential to address global challenges. He emphasised that young academies must play a more visible and active role in AI governance and science diplomacy processes.

The TÜBA session emphasized that, in the AI era, science diplomacy is evolving beyond a purely technical field to become a multidimensional framework encompassing trust-building, ethical governance and global cooperation. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Nuri Yurdusev, a TÜBA member and the president of the Association of Academies and Societies of Sciences in Asia (AASSA), drew attention to the historical continuity between classical diplomacy and contemporary science diplomacy. He emphasised the strategic importance of inter-academy cooperation in Asia in areas such as health, disaster management, climate change and digital transformation. Prof. Dr. Zeliha Koçak Tufan, a Marmara University faculty member, emphasized the pivotal role of science diplomacy in times of crisis, presenting support mechanisms for refugee scholars and the Preservation of the Academic Heritage in the Middle East Project as a prime example of best practice. Prof. Dr. Ercan Öztemel, a member of the TÜBA Artificial Intelligence Working Group and a faculty member at Marmara University, emphasised that AI functions as both a tool for scientific collaboration and a subject of diplomatic negotiation. He stressed that transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and security are essential principles for trustworthy AI.

During the General Assembly and conference, the Turkish Young Academy met with representatives from young academies in various countries, including the Netherlands, Colombia and Estonia, to share experiences. The discussions focused on ways to strengthen the participation of early-career researchers in science diplomacy and AI governance, as well as on how to expand collaboration opportunities among international young academy networks.