December 17th, 2025
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Imagine a frozen expanse larger than most countries, perched between China, Kyrgyzstan, Malestan, and Nepal – the Third Pole, home to one of the world’s largest ice formations after Antarctica and the Arctic. It’s melting faster than expected, triggering floods that directly impact 1.5 million people. Now imagine building a real-time sensor network at 4,000 meters altitude to predict these disasters before they strike. That’s where Ceren Zeytinoglu Atici’s work comes alive.

Ceren, board member of the Turkish Informatics Foundation and co-founder of Be Node, has spent her career bridging technology, climate science, and human collaboration. From digital MRV systems to cross-border AI projects for climate action, she tackles complex problems with a single guiding principle: trust only works when people and data can be relied upon.

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AI Meets Climate: A Global Collaboration

One of Ceren’s most ambitious initiatives is the Global AI Alliance for Climate Action, a partnership between the Turkish Informatics Foundation and Canada’s Vector Institute. Canadian AI researchers, motivated by an “impact-first” mindset, are paired with climate experts worldwide. The goal? To create solutions that are not just technically brilliant, but deployable in high-stakes environments.

“Canada has tremendous AI potential,” Ceren notes. “Researchers there are ready to tackle problems with societal impact rather than pure profit. Bringing that expertise together with climate science accelerates real-world solutions.”

This alliance exemplifies how cross-border collaboration can turn data into action. It’s not enough to design algorithms in a lab; solutions must account for local context, regulatory realities, and human behavior.

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Predicting Disasters at the Third Pole

The Third Pole initiative highlights the intersection of technical readiness and human capability. Local partners in Kyrgyzstan are deploying sensors at high altitudes to capture near real-time data. By integrating this information with global baselines from NOAA, Ceren’s team can forecast avalanches and floods with enough lead time to save lives.

“Last year, Kyrgyzstan experienced six times more floods than usual,” she explains. “With these sensors, communities can evacuate, resources can be allocated, and disaster response can happen before lives are lost.”

This approach also demonstrates a broader principle: technology alone cannot solve climate challenges. Teams must be trained, data must be integrated, and decision-making frameworks must be in place to transform information into meaningful action.

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Microgrids and the Reality of Implementation

Ceren’s work isn’t confined to disaster prediction. She also navigates the complexities of AI-driven microgrids, where delays in sub-metered energy data forced project re-sequencing. The technology existed, but policy, privacy, and human behavior had to catch up first.

These projects illustrate a recurring theme: trust in systems is built not only on technical rigor but also on preparedness and alignment between human, institutional, and technological components.

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The Three Pillars of Trust

Ceren has distilled her experience into three actionable principles for building resilient systems:

1. Make your intent explicit. Clarify goals and expectations with every partner.
   
2. Show up in person. Presence and reliability build credibility faster than digital communicatiopn alone.
3. Create alternatives. When data is messy or resources limited, design flexible paths to keep momentum.
   

These pillars guide everything from cross-border AI alliances to Third Pole sensor deployments and microgrid projects. They ensure that even when systems stall, solutions remain deployable and actionable.

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Care as a Strategic Advantage

At the heart of Ceren’s approach is a simple idea: caring is a strength.

“I care about the people living near the Third Pole and young people navigating the AI disruption,” she says. This intentional care drives action, strengthens networks, and ensures that projects serve the communities most affected. It’s a reminder that human-centered principles amplify the effectiveness of technology.

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Key Takeaways for Builders

1. Trust is foundational. Systems must be built on verifiable data and credible processes.
   
2. Collaboration accelerates impact. Cross-border partnerships combine technical depth with real-world deployment expertise.‍
3. Prepare before crises. Be ready to act when disaster strikes..
4. Communicate values clearly. Explicit intent and reliability build credibility faster than technical details alone.
5. Care drives effectiveness. Human-centered design and empathy strengthen technological solutions.
   

Ceren’s projects highlight an essential truth: data alone isn’t enough. It needs to flow through networks people trust, toward decisions that matter. When the Third Pole floods can be predicted before they strike, communities gain time – and that time saves lives.

Demia is building the same kind of trusted pathways for markets. By connecting real-world operations with verifiable data, we turn proof into the currency of growth, collaboration, and sustainable transformation. When capital follows truth, innovation flourishes – and systems, economies, and communities all move forward together.

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🎧 Listen to the Full Conversation on The Future of Trust

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1KaUxVuw0GoOv7WFL4hXrY?si=p6uSO9mRSfmnw-7q8HDg3A 

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s1-e16-where-technology-waits-for-humanity-ceren-zeytinoglu/id1792163372?i=1000741717633