Hello World

Hello World. I'm Haris — AI developer, researcher, and entrepreneur from Dortmund. On this blog, I share my personal thoughts and perspectives, and I want to briefly share why it exists.

The journey so far

In 2013, I started studying computer science at TU Dortmund. My motivation was simple: solving exciting problems with computers. During my bachelor's, I fell in love with GPGPU programming and rendering — the idea that you can make things visible that didn't exist before, using clever algorithms and raw computing power.

In my master's, I went deeper: computer graphics, algorithms, and eventually artificial intelligence. My thesis combined both — rendering and deep learning. I trained neural networks that extract light sources from photographs and place them in scenes in a physically correct manner. I graduated with distinction in 2020.

After that, I moved to Ankara. As an external consultant, I led AI projects from raw data to deployed modules, managed teams, and performed GPU optimizations on mission-critical components. It was the most intense period of my career — and the most educational. I saw how much value AI can create in practice when done right. But also how chaotic the path often is, especially when it comes to data preparation.

Ziya

From that chaos, an idea emerged, and from the idea came DatenLabel — a product that guides AI projects from raw data to finished AI. Together with Enes and Illi, two people I met during my studies at TU Dortmund, we incorporated the whole thing into Ziya GmbH in 2024. Supported by the NRW Startup Grant and the EXIST program, we are now among the first startups in the EXIST AI Innovation Program.

As Managing Director at Ziya, I'm responsible for the vision and next steps. That means: every day I think about where AI is heading, what that means for our clients, and which decisions we need to make today to be positioned correctly tomorrow.

Why this blog

An incredible amount is happening at the frontier of AI development. What has surprised me over the past few years: we were able to assess developments quite precisely — often months before they became mainstream. Our clients benefited because they could set the right course early. And so did we, of course.

But we want these developments to benefit more than just us and our clients. AI will change the world — for everyone. And the more people have well-founded assessments and insights, the better we can shape this change together.

That's why I want to share our insights and foresights. On the Ziya blog, we write about our company and products. But much of what I have to say doesn't fit there: personal opinions, controversial assessments, technical deep dives, thoughts about the future. That belongs here — on this blog.

What to expect

I'll write about things that move me:

• Where AI is heading and what it means for businesses
• Technical insights into machine learning, computer vision, and agent systems
• Honest thoughts on AI transformation in German mid-market companies
• Lessons learned from founding a startup

Germany is moving too slowly and too cautiously on AI. I want to do my part to change that.

Glad you're here.