AI-Ignited

What happens when the person choosing what you buy isn’t a person at all?

In this episode of AI Ignited, host Elif Baser welcomes returning guest Romina Nikotyan to explore the rise of AI shopping agents and how they could completely reshape marketing. From AI-generated product recommendations and agent-driven shopping to the future of influencers, brand loyalty, privacy, and machine-to-machine advertising, Elif and Romina ask a bigger question: if AI becomes the new gatekeeper between brands and consumers, how will companies learn to market to algorithms as well as humans?They also discuss emerging research on agentic commerce, AI-driven retail traffic, and why the future of marketing may depend on mastering both human desire and machine reasoning.

What happens when artificial intelligence starts helping scientists design proteins, discover drugs, analyze genomes, and even plan genetic edits?

In this episode of AI Ignited, host Elif Baser welcomes Cagan Yuksel to explore the rapidly growing world of AI-powered biology.They discuss how machine learning is transforming bioinformatics, protein structure prediction, drug discovery, synthetic biology, personalized medicine, and automated laboratories. The episode also looks at how AI can help researchers test ideas faster, reduce trial and error, and move from simply observing biology toward predicting and designing it.

From AlphaFold to CRISPR, robotic labs, and AI-designed biological systems, Elif and Cagan examine why the future of life science may belong to students who can speak both biology and data.

What happens when your favorite influencer doesn’t actually exist?

In this episode of AI Ignited, host Elif Baser welcomes Romina Nikotyan to explore the rise of AI-generated influencers—and a future where algorithms may have more influence over what we buy than humans do.
From synthetic testimonials and virtual personalities to AI-powered advertising and personal shopping agents, Elif and Romina examine how artificial intelligence is transforming the psychology of influence. They discuss research showing marketers’ growing interest in automating creator campaigns, the difficulty consumers have distinguishing real people from AI, and the emerging push for clearer disclosure.But an even bigger disruption may be coming: instead of asking influencers what to buy, consumers could simply ask their AI assistants.
When one algorithm is trying to sell to you and another is deciding what you should trust, who becomes the real influencer?

In a world where influence can be manufactured, authenticity may become the most valuable brand of all.

What happens when artificial intelligence leaves the screen and enters the physical world?

In this episode of AI Ignited, host Elif Baser welcomes returning guest Zeynep Nihan Aksoy to explore the rapidly growing field of Physical AI and humanoid robotics.

From Boston Dynamics’ electric Atlas to Tesla’s plans for Optimus, they examine how companies are building robots that can see, reason, move, and adapt. The conversation also dives into “world models”—AI systems designed to simulate physics and predict how actions might unfold before a robot takes them in real life. Elif and Zeynep discuss research from NVIDIA, the challenge of training robots safely, and why factories and warehouses may become the first major testing grounds for humanoid AI.

Are we moving toward a future where intelligent machines can understand not only language, but the physical world itself?

Tune in to find out.

Can a machine really out-invest one of the greatest investors of all time? In this episode of AI Ignited, host Elif Baser welcomes returning guest Doruk Cakin to explore whether artificial intelligence could ever become a better investor than Warren Buffett. Drawing on research in machine learning, quantitative investing, behavioral finance, and AI-driven asset pricing, Doruk compares the strengths of algorithms with the qualities that helped define Buffett’s success: patience, discipline, judgment, and the ability to ignore market noise.

They also tackle overfitting, AI-powered trading, emotional bias, market herding, and the danger of thousands of algorithms making the same decision at once. Could AI eliminate fear and greed from investing, or simply create a new kind of risk? The episode ultimately asks a bigger question: will the best investor of the future be human, machine, or someone who knows how to combine both?

AI is making more decisions than ever—from approving loans and screening job applicants to identifying faces and supporting medical diagnoses. But what happens when the algorithm gets it wrong?

In this episode of AI Ignited, host Elif Baser welcomes returning guest Zeynep Nihan Aksoy to explore one of the most important ethical questions in computer science: Who is responsible when AI causes harm? They discuss biased algorithms, facial recognition errors, autonomous vehicles, medical AI, automation bias, and the growing challenge of accountability in increasingly complex systems. Is responsibility with the programmer, the company that deploys the technology, the person using it—or should AI itself ever be held accountable? As machines become more powerful, this episode asks whether our systems of responsibility are evolving fast enough to keep up.

What happens when AI stops simply studying biology and starts designing it?
In this episode of AI Ignited, host Elif Baser is joined by Derin Ocakli to explore how artificial intelligence is helping scientists make proteins and molecules that may never have existed in nature.Inspired by recent work in AI-driven protein design, they discuss how researchers are using AI to develop potential new medicines, pollution-fighting enzymes, and other biological tools. But with the ability to design entirely new molecules comes a bigger question: how do we make sure they are safe?From Nobel Prize-winning protein research to the idea of biology becoming increasingly programmable, Elif and Derin explore whether AI is beginning to take on a role once left entirely to evolution.

What if AI could detect a species disappearing before humans even realized it was in danger?

In this episode of AI Ignited, host Elif Baser welcomes returning guest Ece Cirpan to explore how artificial intelligence is becoming an unexpected tool in preventing biodiversity loss.

From algorithms listening for disappearing bird and frog calls to environmental DNA (eDNA) revealing animals humans never see, Elif and Ece explore how bioacoustics, camera traps, satellite imagery, and machine learning could create an early-warning system for ecosystems.But can an algorithm really understand the complexity of nature? And if AI predicts that multiple species are approaching extinction, who decides which ones we save?

This episode journeys into a future where AI’s greatest contribution may not be replacing human intelligence, but helping us hear the warning signs of a planet becoming quieter—before silence becomes a species' extinction.

Is artificial intelligence replacing industrial workers—or making them more productive?

In this episode of AI Ignited, host Elif Baser welcomes returning guest Elif Basaran to explore how AI is transforming manufacturing, logistics, warehouses, energy, construction, and supply chains. They discuss predictive maintenance, computer-vision quality control, smarter routing, energy optimization, and generative AI assistants for factory workers. The episode also examines expert research on productivity gains, workforce retraining, digital skills, and the risks of automation moving faster than workers can adapt.

Rather than asking whether AI will simply “take jobs,” Elifs look at a bigger question: what will industrial work look like when humans and intelligent machines operate side by side?

Can a machine really tell when you are anxious, excited, frustrated, or afraid?

In this episode of AI Ignited, host Elif Baser welcomes Idil Dogan to explore the rapidly developing world of emotion-reading AI. From facial expressions and voice patterns to heart rate, skin responses, and even EEG brain activity, Elif and Idil unpack how researchers are teaching algorithms to recognize patterns linked to human emotion. They also examine why the future of neuroscience may depend on combining AI with brain and body data rather than relying on a single signal.
But the technology raises difficult questions too. Can an algorithm confuse fear with excitement? Can culture change how emotions are expressed?

This episode explores a future where AI may not truly feel emotions—but could become increasingly powerful at detecting the signals behind them.