The first session of the “Science Education Seminars for Society” organized by Üsküdar University was held with a presentation by Vice Rector Prof. Türker Tekin Ergüzel.
Speaking at the seminar titled “New Technologies and Application Areas in Healthcare,” Prof. Türker Tekin Ergüzel made striking evaluations regarding the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Prof. Ergüzel emphasized the critical importance of knowledge produced in universities meeting with society, stating, “Science should not remain only in academia; it must transform into a product that touches human lives.”
Prof. Ergüzel, pointing out that societal contribution is one of the fundamental elements of 4th generation universities, stated that artificial intelligence applications in healthcare are one of the most concrete examples of this understanding.
Healthcare data increases by 40 percent every year
Prof. Ergüzel stated that data production in the world is increasing at a breathtaking pace, drawing particular attention to growth in the healthcare sector. Prof. Ergüzel noted that healthcare data increases by approximately 40 percent every year, saying, “Today, about 30 percent of the data produced globally belongs to the healthcare sector. This means an enormous data pool.”
Prof. Ergüzel, stating that this data holds no meaning without processing, used the expression, “If you don't analyze this data, you are essentially sitting on a goldmine.”
High accuracy in disease detection with artificial intelligence
Referring to his own studies in his speech, Prof. Ergüzel stated that artificial intelligence-supported systems have achieved significant success particularly in the classification of psychiatric diseases. Prof. Ergüzel noted that models developed using EEG data can distinguish many diseases with high accuracy rates, saying, “Obsessive-compulsive disorder: 89% accuracy. Eating disorders: 93% accuracy, and addiction types yield up to 96% accuracy.”
Prof. Ergüzel emphasized that these systems are currently in clinical use, stating, “These studies are no longer just academic but have transformed into applications that directly interact with patients.”
Sensitive data: Both a risk and an opportunity
Prof. Ergüzel pointed out that a large part of the data used in artificial intelligence applications is personal, stating that voice, facial, and biological data carry sensitivity in terms of privacy. Ergüzel stated that this situation presents both a risk and a great opportunity, saying, “When used correctly, this data makes a significant contribution to the healthcare system.”
Algorithms inspired by nature
In his speech, Prof. Ergüzel also explained that artificial intelligence models are inspired by nature, stating that ant colonies and swarm behaviors are examples for algorithms. Ergüzel said, “Thanks to swarm intelligence, we can find the most accurate and efficient path,” and noted that the most meaningful information is selected from data using these methods.
Purpose is service to humanity, not commercial
Prof. Ergüzel emphasized that artificial intelligence studies do not solely aim for commercial gain, stating, “Our priority is to produce solutions for the needs in the healthcare field. The systems we develop are actively used by physicians.”
Prof. Ergüzel stated that artificial intelligence will be an indispensable part of healthcare services in the future and that studies in this field will continue without slowing down.
Prof. Türker Tekin Ergüzel stated that methods inspired by nature in artificial intelligence studies have achieved significant success in the healthcare field. Ergüzel emphasized that the difference between individual decisions and collective intelligence is decisive in both human life and algorithms.
Collective intelligence yields more accurate results than individual decisions
Prof. Ergüzel, illustrating decision-making processes through “swarm intelligence,” stated that decisions made by individuals alone do not always yield the best results. Ergüzel noted that especially in critical processes like career choice, benefiting from the knowledge and experience of experienced individuals leads to more accurate results, saying, “Community experience often produces more optimal results than individual decisions.”
Ergüzel noted that this approach is also mathematically modeled, stating that swarm behaviors are successfully used in artificial intelligence algorithms.
Ants,birds, and fish guide artificial intelligence models…
In his presentation, Prof. Ergüzel touched upon three fundamental algorithms inspired by nature; he stated that ant colonies, bird and fish swarms, and bee behaviors guide artificial intelligence models.
Ergüzel noted that the communication method of bees is particularly striking, explaining that bees transmit three critical pieces of information to other bees with a special movement called the “waggle dance”. Ergüzel said, “With this information, bees can reach a nectar source with pinpoint accuracy up to 6 kilometers away. This is one of the most impressive optimization systems in nature.”
Flowers signal bees electrically
Ergüzel stated that flowers have a negative electric charge, while bees have a positive one, enabling bees to distinguish flowers containing nectar.
Ergüzel, stating that “Flowers from which nectar has been taken become neutral, and other bees do not go to that flower,” emphasized that this mechanism is an example of perfect efficiency in nature.
“Selecting the right data” is the key to success in artificial intelligence
Ergüzel stated that one of the most significant challenges of working with big data is selecting the right data, and noted that they have made serious progress in data optimization thanks to the algorithms they developed.
Ergüzel said, “While we achieved 60% accuracy with 48 different data points, the algorithms selected the 22 most valuable data points for us, and the accuracy rate increased to 80%.” He noted that with deep learning techniques, these rates reached over 90%.
Mind-controlled robotic arm developed
Prof. Ergüzel also referred to the topic of robot arms controlled by brain signals, stating that in the system developed using EEG data, individuals can move the robotic arm merely by thinking, and this technology is particularly promising for paralyzed patients.
Artificial intelligence reading emotions from faces
Prof. Ergüzel stated that in another project, artificial intelligence can analyze emotions from facial expressions, and that the system, trained with 40,000 data points, can detect basic emotions such as happiness, fear, anger, surprise, and sadness with 85-90% accuracy.
Prof. Ergüzel stated that information-focused education systems would be insufficient, saying, “Machines are now surpassing humans in information processing. Therefore, education systems need to focus on skills such as empathy, values, teamwork, and independent thinking.”
Technology should be used for humanity
Prof. Ergüzel emphasized that while artificial intelligence is rapidly developing, its correct use is critical, and stated that studies in healthcare should be human-centered, saying, “Our aim is to make technology beneficial for humanity. Artificial intelligence applications in healthcare carry great potential in this regard.”
We can even analyze micromimics
Prof. Ergüzel stated that the artificial intelligence systems they developed can analyze not only basic emotions but also micromimics, and that they achieve much more successful results with high-resolution visuals.
Prof. Ergüzel stated that artificial intelligence can also categorize emotions like happiness within itself, saying, “We no longer just say 'happy'; we can analyze different nuances of happiness through micromimics.”
Artificial intelligence in surgery
Responding to a question about the use of artificial intelligence in operating rooms, Ergüzel emphasized that giving a precise date is difficult but the process is progressing rapidly, stating:
“We are in 2026. I believe that artificial intelligence-supported surgical guidance systems, provided they are physician-assisted, will become widespread in hospitals much faster than expected by 2030.”
Success achieved in psychiatry offers hope for surgery
Prof. Ergüzel stated that the high accuracy rates achieved by artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of psychiatric diseases are also promising for other medical fields, reminding that they achieved up to 90% success in difficult-to-diagnose diseases such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Prof. Ergüzel stated that these developments will pave the way for the use of artificial intelligence in other branches, especially in surgery, saying, “These successes show that artificial intelligence will be integrated more quickly into clinical practices.”
Prof. Ergüzel, drawing attention to the rise of artificial intelligence in healthcare, added that these technologies will become indispensable for both physicians and patients in the coming years.
