{"691240":{"#nid":"691240","#data":{"type":"news","title":"From Atlanta to Ankara: Sharing AI Literacy Across 5,960 Miles","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt 7 p.m. in Ankara, T\u00fcrkiye, 18 fourth-grade students and their family members from Maya Schools logged into Microsoft Teams to hear a presentation from Meryem Yilmaz Soylu, a research scientist in the Georgia Tech College of Lifetime Learning, who joined them from Atlanta.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYilmaz Soylu was excited and a little nervous to speak with 10-year-olds about artificial intelligence and the future of learning in her native language. While she has presented to Turkish school-aged children before, this was the first time she shared her current Georgia Tech research with students in her homeland and discussed it in Turkish rather than her day-to-day working language, English.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cPresenting this topic in Turkish was both interesting and deeply meaningful,\u201d Yilmaz Soylu said. \u201cMost of my academic and professional work now happens in English, so I am used to thinking, writing, and presenting about AI and learning in that language. Preparing this talk in Turkish made me slow down and reconsider the ideas. I was not just translating academic concepts. I was trying to make them feel familiar, concrete, and meaningful to children.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe opportunity came through Buket Akkoyunlu, vice rector of \u00c7ankaya University in Ankara, T\u00fcrkiye, and Yilmaz Soylu\u2019s colleague, collaborator, and former professor and mentor during her graduate studies at Hacettepe University. Akkoyunlu invited her to speak with students who have been learning AI literacy, including prompt writing and responsible AI use, as part of their school curriculum. Instead of attending their typical after-school activities, the students chose to attend the presentation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo connect with the young audience, Yilmaz Soylu shared a childhood memory of being fascinated by technology and wondering whether tiny people lived inside the radio. That curiosity eventually led her to study how people learn and how technology can support learning.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI used the distance between Atlanta and Ankara as a concrete example of technology\u2019s power,\u201d she said. \u201cAlthough we were about 5,960 miles apart, technology enabled us to meet and talk in real time.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe explained that AI extends far beyond generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. Students encounter AI every day through technologies including YouTube and Spotify recommendations, Siri, Google Translate, navigation applications, medical technologies, and autonomous vehicle systems.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYilmaz Soylu\u2019s goal was to help students understand that while AI can be a powerful tool, people remain responsible for directing, evaluating, and using it thoughtfully. She wanted them to leave feeling hopeful rather than fearful. Rather than competing with AI, she encouraged them to learn how to use it responsibly while continuing to develop the unique human skills that technology cannot replace.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe students responded with questions that went far beyond how to use AI tools. They asked about privacy, employment, responsibility, the future of education in 2035, and the skills they may need to thrive in an AI-enabled world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was particularly touched when one student connected lifelong learning to the Turkish saying \u2018\u00d6\u011frenmenin ya\u015f\u0131 olmaz,\u2019 meaning \u2018Learning has no age,\u2019\u201d Yilmaz Soylu said. \u201cHe explained, in his own words, that learning begins but never truly ends. That response showed me the students had grasped the presentation\u2019s deeper message: Success in the AI age will not depend solely on mastering one technology. It will depend on staying curious and willing to learn throughout life.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThroughout the presentation, Yilmaz Soylu emphasized a simple message: \u201cAI is the tool; you are the hero.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe students appeared to embrace that idea, carrying away a lesson that applies to learners of every age: Technology may change, but curiosity, responsibility, and a commitment to lifelong learning remain essential.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA College of Lifetime Learning researcher connected virtually with elementary school students in T\u00fcrkiye to discuss artificial intelligence, lifelong learning, and the uniquely human skills that will remain essential in an AI-enabled future.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A College of Lifetime Learning researcher connected virtually with elementary school students in T\u00fcrkiye to discuss artificial intelligence, lifelong learning, and the uniquely human skills that will remain essential in an AI-enabled future."}],"uid":"33969","created_gmt":"2026-07-24 17:15:29","changed_gmt":"2026-07-24 17:26:12","author":"ymrv3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-07-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-07-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680668":{"id":"680668","type":"image","title":"YilmazSoylu-MayaSchools.jpg","body":null,"created":"1784913512","gmt_created":"2026-07-24 17:18:32","changed":"1784913512","gmt_changed":"2026-07-24 17:18:32","alt":"Virtual classroom session with instructor and students.","file":{"fid":"264959","name":"YilmazSoylu-MayaSchools.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/07\/24\/YilmazSoylu-MayaSchools.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/07\/24\/YilmazSoylu-MayaSchools.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1517493,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/07\/24\/YilmazSoylu-MayaSchools.jpg?itok=9kXwBewc"}}},"media_ids":["680668"],"groups":[{"id":"660375","name":"Lifetime Learning"}],"categories":[{"id":"194606","name":"Artificial Intelligence"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"193860","name":"Artifical Intelligence"},{"id":"77261","name":"academic outreach"},{"id":"193940","name":"college of lifetime learning"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ymrv3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EYelena M. Rivera-Vale\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECommunications Program Manager\u003Cbr\u003ECollege of Lifetime Learning\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}