A digital network flowing above Istanbul
International Business Forum takes place in Istanbul on 23 September 2026. Four talks and a keynote map the transformation; in the AI Arena, models from different developers are put to the test live on stage.
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Not describing AI — testing it in front of the hall
Most events on artificial intelligence fall into one of two moulds: promotional gatherings praising what the technology makes possible, or cautionary ones listing its risks. Both leave the audience in the same place — with an opinion about AI, but still no idea how to work with it. This program was designed to break that mould.
Its starting point is this observation: what artificial intelligence really transforms is not business processes but the relationship between people and knowledge. Telling sound knowledge apart has stopped being a technical question and become a methodological one. The chain of isnād developed by the Islamic scholarly tradition is precisely a source-traceability system built for that problem; where large language models are weakest is exactly where the classical uṣūl sciences are strongest. That encounter is the intellectual centre of this program.
This is not a talking shop. Five concrete outputs — including the AI Arena Comparison Report produced live during the panel — are publishable, citable documents that make institutional follow-up possible afterwards. The aim is not a discussion that ends when the hall empties, but a framework that stays in use after it.
Who is it for?
Students
The group that uses AI most intensively and questions it least. The program aims to turn a consumer habit into a critical competence.
Business and decision-makers
Leadership setting the priorities for enterprise AI investment and reskilling policy.
Scholarly tradition and academia
Academics working in the uṣūl sciences, theology, history and philosophy, and institutions producing scholarly content.
Public sector and policymakers
Institutions working on data governance, national strategy and regulation.
A program across five themes
Four talks set out the different layers of the transformation, the keynote unites them at the level of national capacity, and the AI Arena tests the theses live.
- 01
The Humanity and Artificial Intelligence
Easing, hindering, complicating: the twofold effect of AI on human reasoning, patience and the capacity for deep thought.
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Knowledge Authority and Isnād
The chain of isnād is a source-traceability protocol; large language models erase the source as they generate. This methodological contrast is the intellectual centre of the panel.
- 03
Competition, Productivity and Employment
Does competitive advantage accumulate in capital, in data, or in the skilled people who make sense of data? Reskilling and the SME threshold sit under this heading.
- 04
Digital Sovereignty
Compute, data-centre capacity and the ability to build models are now strategic resources. The balance between domestic capacity and global integration.
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AI Arena
Models from different developers are tested on stage across four rounds: accuracy, source attribution, consistency, and the restraint to say “I don't know”.
Frequently asked questions
Who can attend the panel?
The panel is open to business professionals, academics, students and representatives of public institutions. Attendance is limited to registered participants.
When does the program start and how long does it run?
Registration and welcome open at 14:00; the program starts at 14:30 on Wednesday 23 September 2026 and ends at 17:30.
What is the AI Arena?
It is the part of the second session in which AI models from different developers are compared on stage across four rounds. Assessment rests on four criteria: accuracy, source attribution, consistency, and the restraint to state plainly when the model does not know.
What remains after the panel?
The final communiqué read at the closing, plus five concrete outputs: the AI Arena Comparison Report, a guide for institutions on verifying AI output, a responsible-AI checklist for business, a public–private cooperation proposal note, and a measurement of the shift in participants’ views.
What language are the sessions in?
Most sessions are in Turkish. Simultaneous interpretation is provided for sessions featuring international speakers.
BE PART OF THE FUTURE
Places are limited. Complete your registration and follow four talks, a keynote and the AI Arena’s live test from the hall.