Mirleon AI took part in Future AI Summit'26, one of the most significant artificial intelligence summits in the MENA region, hosted by Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul. Our co-founder Dr. Melike Palsü Kurt appeared as a speaker on the summit's education-focused panel, "Preparing Students for Success in an AI-Driven Society," while Mirleon AI welcomed visitors at its booth in the start-up area throughout the summit and delivered a pitch to a jury of leading ecosystem investors as part of the Demoday program.
Held this year under the theme "Redesigning Intelligence" at the BAU South Campus Convention Center in Beşiktaş, the summit brought together a broad audience spanning academia, the public sector, private industry, and the start-up ecosystem. Featuring more than 130 speakers across three stages over two days, the event explored the relationship between artificial intelligence and fields such as education, healthcare, the defense industry, agriculture, and entrepreneurship. The summit's opening address was delivered by "Lucia," an artificial intelligence that prepared its own text without human intervention by processing the outcomes of previous years. In their opening remarks, President of Defense Industries Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün highlighted Türkiye's momentum in the field of technology and called on young people to "be the engineers of technology, not its spectators," while BAU Rector Prof. Dr. Esra Hatipoğlu emphasized her belief that the summit would contribute to the goals of Türkiye's National Artificial Intelligence Action Plan.
The panel "Preparing Students for Success in an AI-Driven Society," in which Dr. Melike Palsü Kurt participated as a speaker, examined how education must be reimagined at a time when artificial intelligence has become an inseparable part of everyday life and the business world. The panel underscored the importance not only of equipping students with technical competence, but also of cultivating their ability to use artificial intelligence together with critical thinking, ethical awareness, and human values. At Mirleon AI, we place this approach at the very heart of the solutions we develop: the purpose of artificial intelligence is not to replace people, but to strengthen human decision-making.
Throughout the summit, our booth in the start-up area drew intense interest. Welcoming a wide range of visitors—from investors and academics to students and representatives of various sectors—we introduced the decision-support solutions we have developed, held one-on-one conversations with visitors, and gathered valuable feedback on our products. These conversations proved highly productive, allowing us both to see how our solutions resonate in the field and to open new doors for collaboration within the ecosystem.
As part of the summit's Demoday program, Mirleon AI presented its dual-use-focused solution AI-MATE to a jury composed of Türkiye's leading venture capital firms, angel investor networks, and pioneering representatives of the start-up ecosystem. The assessments we received following the presentation provided valuable guidance for our product roadmap and growth strategy.
The Future AI Summit'26 experience once again strengthened the ties Mirleon AI has built with both academia and the investment ecosystem. Taking part across different platforms, from the education panel to the start-up booth, and from the Demoday stage to one-on-one meetings, enabled us to introduce the artificial intelligence solutions we develop to our stakeholders, to receive feedback, and to share a common vision for the human-centered use of artificial intelligence. We extend our thanks to all the stakeholders who support us on this journey, to the guests who visited our booth, and to the Bahçeşehir University for their invitation.