Algorithm

The Monument to the ABC of Artificial Intelligence

For the first time in Türkiye, a scientific discovery was turned into a monument on a university campus. It commemorates the Artificial Bee Colony algorithm, developed by Derviş Karaboğa in 2005.

A 15-second recording from the unveiling.

Unveiled: 8 November 2024
Location: Erciyes University, Faculty of Engineering garden
Sculptor: Assoc. Prof. Osman Yılmaz
Attended by: Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, President of YÖK

The monument was unveiled on 8 November 2024 in the garden of the Faculty of Engineering at Erciyes University, at a ceremony attended by Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, President of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK).

It commemorates the Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm, developed in 2005 by Prof. Dr. Derviş Karaboğa of the Department of Computer Engineering at Erciyes University. The paper introducing the algorithm is the most-cited Türkiye-addressed scientific work in the Web of Science database.

The sculpture was shaped by Assoc. Prof. Osman Yılmaz of the Department of Sculpture, Faculty of Fine Arts, and is the first AI-themed monument in Türkiye. A QR code on the monument takes visitors to Karaboğa's paper and to further information about the algorithm.

What the figures mean

The monument gives form to the bee behaviours the ABC algorithm rests on. According to YÖK's official statement it represents three elements:

1
The sun
The reference point honey bees use when describing the location of rich flowers far from the hive.
2
The waggle dance
The dance bees perform to share information; it conveys the direction of a source and its distance.
3
The algorithmic loop
The loop that maximises the nectar in the hive; it models the division of labour between employed, onlooker and scout bees.

Sources

YÖK official news — a monument to the Artificial Bee Colony algorithm
Erciyes University, Gazete er, issue 120 (December 2024 – January 2025)
Post and video by Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, President of YÖK
Erciyes University official YouTube channel, unveiling video

Image: from the post by Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, President of YÖK.