Interdisciplinary Research
In my work, I bridge the realms of technology ethics, ancient wisdom, and social impact through interdisciplinary research initiatives. From conducting an AI Evaluation Landscape Analysis during my Humane Intelligence fellowship, to ImagineLab’s collaborative reimagining of futures in the age of AI, I strive to unite technical knowledge with ethical perspectives. My projects, such as the exploration of Ahilik and Anatolian spiritual traditions, combine historical insight with community-oriented frameworks, fostering spaces that promote responsible innovation, sustainability, and personal transformation. Through this unique blend, I empower individuals and organizations to build inclusive, value-driven solutions that align with both modern needs and timeless principles.
Humane Intelligence AI Evaluation Landscape Analysis
The AI Evaluation Landscape Analysis, conducted during a Humane Intelligence fellowship, mapped the emerging and diverse field of AI evaluation practices. Faced with limited established standards, the project’s initial steps involved defining boundaries for relevant AI evaluation categories, including model assessment, bias bounties, benchmarking, and short-term risk evaluations, while omitting cybersecurity approaches and long-term risk resources. The analysis incorporated a case study with the Metrology Working Group to identify relevant resources and created a robust database using Looker Studio, allowing users to search and filter by resource type, sophistication level, and key evaluation practices like benchmarking and red-teaming.
The methodology saw continuous refinement, viewing landscape analysis as a dynamic learning system with phases of data collection, visualization, and ongoing search. Custom-built, hybrid search functionality was introduced, blending semantic similarity with text search to enhance the database’s usability. Key tools, such as Google Sheets for data collection and Semantic Scholar for continuous resource updates, were employed, with long-term considerations for incorporating citation metrics and ensuring ongoing database maintenance.
ImagineLab is a research initiative aimed at exploring how communities can collectively envision and build alternative futures in response to AI-related challenges. By blending storytelling, ancestral wisdom, and artistic visualization, this project brings together diverse groups to collaboratively create «maps of collective imagination.» Through online and in-person workshops, ImagineLab cultivates a safe space for participants to share personal stories, envision alternative futures, and form coalitions against technological harm. This digital archive serves as a lasting resource, fostering resilience, unity, and hope across communities, while promoting responsible and human-centered approaches to technology. ImagineLab embodies a commitment to inclusive, transformative change rooted in empathy and shared narratives.
Social Change and Social Tech Landscape Discovery for Turkey
The «Social Change and Social Tech Landscape Discovery» report, conducted for TechSoup Europe, explored the intersection of technology, NGOs, and social entrepreneurship in Turkey. It highlighted Turkey’s growing ICT market, despite its low contribution to GDP, and examined the immature yet developing relationship between technology, social entrepreneurship, and NGOs. The report also addressed technology adoption in the NGO sector, the challenges NGOs face in integrating technology, and the emerging opportunities within social entrepreneurship, such as incubation centers and hackathons. This interdisciplinary research served to map out the potential for tech-driven social change initiatives in Turkey.
Understanding Financial Inclusion for Immigrant Populations in Spain
As a strategic consultant, I conducted research into the immigrant communities in Spain to explore how these diverse populations contributed to and shaped the Spanish economy, while also facing unique financial challenges. With immigrants representing approximately 10% of Spain’s population in 2008, this demographic provided valuable labor and cultural richness, yet often lacked access to traditional financial services, such as credit histories and affordable remittance options.
Through independent interviews, empathic/etnographic research and data analysis, I identified several key areas where financial institutions could innovate to meet the specific needs of immigrants. These included developing tailored products for remittances, creating pathways for building credit histories, and providing culturally sensitive customer service. Additionally, I found that immigrants’ strong ties to their home countries and local communities created opportunities for financial products that respected and enhanced these connections, such as loyalty programs and targeted community-based financial services.
This research demonstrated the potential for meaningful, scalable financial solutions that could support immigrant inclusion, foster community trust, and align with social responsibility goals. By focusing on underserved communities, I showed how financial institutions could contribute to a more equitable and inclusive economic landscape.
A Search for a System That Brings Joy
My search for an economic model that brings both joy and sustainability is a lifelong, interdisciplinary exploration—a journey toward finding ways to fulfill my needs while honoring the delicate web of life. This quest is deeply rooted in “walking the talk”; for me, social enterprises aren’t alternatives, they are the way of doing things.
In this process, I’ve explored diverse organizational structures and economic settings, ranging from personal entrepreneurial projects like Zumbara (a time-banking platform), Things, and My Sacred Space, to larger systems like Amazon and Etsy, where I have sold both physical and digital products across Europe and globally. Each experience has allowed me to examine different forms of business, from cooperatives and NGOs to sole proprietorships and larger, more structured entities. Inspired by the traditional Anatolian Ahilik guild model, my work draws on values of community care, shared responsibility, and support.
This journey has also been fueled by stories that embody the value of every contribution. One that resonates with me is the tale of an elderly woman who carried two pots, one of which was cracked and leaked water on her way back from the stream. While the perfect pot brought a full load of water, the cracked pot only delivered half. Ashamed of its flaw, the cracked pot lamented to the woman, who then pointed out the flowers that bloomed along its side of the path. She had known about the crack all along and had planted seeds to be watered on each trip, creating beauty in her home that wouldn’t exist without the pot’s imperfection.
I carried this ethos into the Zumbara Harikalar Kumpanyası, an experiment aimed at building a cooperative with artists, designers, and entrepreneurs who shared this philosophy. Together, we pursued ways to add value to society, finding joy in meaningful work, and gratefully accepting financial abundance as it came. This cooperative concept allowed us to explore an economic model that thrives on contribution, connection, and personal fulfillment rather than solely profit-driven goals.
Through these ventures, I am constantly testing and refining my approach to economic life. Rather than resisting conventional systems, I approach them with curiosity and consciousness, experimenting with ways to bring values of generosity, joy, and sustainability into various settings. This journey of contemplation and action is one that I pursue with an open heart, seeking to shape a model of abundance that nurtures both myself and the world around me. I believe that with this commitment to conscious experimentation, I am closer to finding a system that doesn’t just sustain, but truly uplifts and brings joy to me, my community, and the wider world.
Journey of Love: Collecting and Practicing Sound Healing Techniques Globally
«Journey of Love» is an interdisciplinary exploration in which I delve into the healing power of sound across different cultures and traditions. This project merges my roots in the sacred music and spiritual expressions of Anatolia with knowledge I gain from global mentors specializing in sound healing. By integrating these diverse practices, I seek to harness sound’s therapeutic and transformative effects, aiming to create a shared space for reflection, healing, and unity. My journey embodies an aspiration to channel love and unity through voice, embracing sound as both art and medicine.
Aşık Gül Ayşe’s project, Aşkın Yolculuğu, is a soulful journey into the healing and spiritual essence of sound, rooted in Turkish Sufi traditions. Her work, shared through her website, YouTube, and Instagram, explores Anatolian ilahis (devotional songs), makam (musical modes), and sound healing. With a background in therapeutic vocal training, she blends traditional Turkish music with personal reflections, fostering a contemplative community for spiritual seekers. Aşık Gül Ayşe’s offerings promote self-discovery and unity, inviting followers to explore the transformative power of music and cultural heritage.