On May 18–19, 2026, Prof. Atakan Varol represented the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI) at the 1st International Turkic World Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation Congress (TURKWAI 2026). Hosted by Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University, the landmark event brought together academics, researchers, and students from across the Turkic world to discuss the future of AI.
The congress marked a historic moment for regional scientific collaboration. Featuring a dynamic mix of onsite presentations, online sessions, and hands-on workshops, the inaugural event was highly successful, drawing hundreds of researchers and showcasing 120 research papers from 9 different countries.
As a distinguished invited speaker, Prof. Atakan Varol delivered an interactive session titled, “LLM Workshop: How to create generative AI products and services for low-resource contexts?” Drawing heavily from ISSAI’s pioneering experience in developing large language models and NLP tools for the Kazakh language, Prof. Varol shared invaluable insights on overcoming data scarcity. His workshop provided practical guidance for researchers and developers aiming to build robust Generative AI applications for underrepresented languages within the Turkic language family.
Prof. Varol was joined by other esteemed invited speakers, including Ahmet Bedri Özer and Veysel Bozkurt.
The congress concluded as a resounding success, fostering a strong sense of community among AI practitioners in the region. Participants and organizers alike expressed confidence that this gathering will become a lasting tradition, paving the way for continued technological innovation and digital transformation across the region.