Profile
Selim Unlusoy is the Global Head of AI at LePub, one of the most awarded creative agencies in the world. He leads a multi-disciplinary team exploring how intelligent systems can expand the boundaries of storytelling, design, and cultural influence.

A keynote speaker at events including TEDx and SXSW Sydney, and a member of The Italian Association for Artificial Intelligence (AIxIA), Selim examines the evolving relationship between humans and machines-not just as tools, but as new cultural actors shaping how we think, feel, and create.

With more than 100 international awards to his name, including Italy's first Innovation Lion at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, his current focus is on behavioral engineering, synthetic creation, and the future of human expression in the age of AI.
         
Email,
Instagram 
Polaroid
Substack
LinkedIn
Threads 
Facebook 
TikTok 
X (Formerly Knows As Twitter)
Education
Advanced-AI For Business (Certificate)
Oxford Said Business School
2023

Bachelor of Advertising (Degree)
Istanbul Bilgi University
2008

Social Psychology  (AFS-Exchange)
Griffith Institute
2003

Bahcesehir College (HS)
1997


Employment
Global Head of A.I.
LePub (Part of Publicis Groupe)
2024 - Ongoing

Global Executive Creative Director
LePub (Part of Publicis Groupe)
2021 - Ongoing

Executive Creative Director 
Ogilvy Istanbul (WPP)
2015 - 2021

Executive Creative Director
GTB Istanbul (WPP)
2016 - 2019

Associate Creative Director
Head of Art
Leo Burnett Group Russia
2012 - 2015

Head of Art
Art Director
Leo Burnett Istanbul
2010 - 2012

Art Director
DDB&Co. Istanbul
2008 - 2010

Art Director
Assistant Art Director
Lowe Istanbul
2004 - 2008

Referrals
“I have been working with Selim for many years and I know him not only as a great professional, but also as a great person to work with, a very human person taking care of those who work with him. Selim is an inspiring team leader, ready to support and guide his team.
Selim has the advanced understanding of AI systems, he has completed Google’s AI programs and is writing a book in generative AI called “Slow Creativity". Selim has a great expertise in design and craft, leading this experience in all the agencies he worked with. 
Working with Selim is an unforgettable experience every employer and employee will obtain apart from enjoying his never tiring efforts to achieve excellent results!”

Tatiana Maslova
Chief Operating Officer
Publicis Groupe Italy

++

“There is no doubt that Selim is a creative genius who always strives to do great work and accomplishes incredible results. But beyond that, he has a way of working that is very rare. He is able to be a great leader to his team, an exceptional partner to the different departments he works with, and he doesn’t view any task as too small or too big. He is always there to support even the smallest projects, meanwhile managing an entire creative department with gusto. He cares deeply for the people he works with and always approaches work with the perfect combination of strategical thinking and creative vision. He is a phenomenal talent with an humble attitude and he is truly one of the best leaders in the industry.“

Simge Okut
Sr. Brand Strategist
Amazon

++

“Selim is one of those ECD’s who makes a great partner to any Managing Director running an ad agency (and I was very lucky to be one) with the way he handles the fine balance between creative integrity and pressing realities of the business. He’s a perfectionist, great collaborator and mentor at the same time, so anyone working with him comes away with wider skill-sets and more refined taste. I’ve always admired how he could look beyond the face value of standard briefs, seeing the real creative and/or business potential in them and also giving every project, regardless of the client profile or budget limits, it’s due care and attention, no matter how overloaded he might be. But one thing that truly sets him apart in an industry, where quite often unwanted behavior wrongly construed as talent, is his most pleasant personality and caring heart. He’s a living proof that you can win Awards and new clients and be a nice person at the same time.“

Elif Adali Erten
Interactive Lead
Accenture


Skills

Creative Leadership
AI Strategy
Innovation Strategy
Brand Building
Concept Development
Creative Direction
Executive Leadership
Team Building
Storytelling
Public Speaking
Thought Leadership
Cultural Insight
Design Thinking
Product Vision
Transformation Leadership
Workshop Facilitation
Client Leadership
Strategic Thinking
Future Thinking
Talent Development


Award Experience
Cannes Lions
    > including Italy’s First Innovation Lion
Clios
One Show
Andy’s
Eurobest
London International Awards
New York Festivals
Golden Drum
Effie’s
Awwwards
Webby Awards
Cresta
De’zeen
ADCI
Brand Experience










































Press

Absolut Vodka
Adidas
Audi
Barilla
Cadbury
Campari
Coca-Cola
Cornetto
Disney
Dove
Fanta
Fiat
Ford
Garnier
Google
Hellman’s
HSBC
International Olympic Committee
Jeep
Johnnie Walker
KFC
Kimberly-Clark
Kleenex
Kotex
Lavazza
L’Oreal
Maxfactor
Megafon
Migros
Nike
P&G
Philips
Pizza Hut
Powerade
Samsung
Silversea
Tele2
Tinder
Turkcell
Unilever
WWF


‘In Pictures: Publicis Groupe ANZ Brings Le Checkpoint To SXSW Sydney’
LBB
2025


‘AI brought these iconic Campbell’s, Apple, and Penn tennis print ads to life’
Fast Company
2024     


‘Il gagdet di Barilla per cuocere la pasta a fuoco spento‘
Wired Italy
2022

selim.aiPrompt Responsibly ©All Rights Reserved (2026)

The grass on the
other side is
probably generated™


Welcome to my curated collection of micro-obbessions. I lead A.I. at LePub and speak globally on how machines are transforming culture and creativity.I spend most of my time trying to convince people that they are an intelligence model in training.And also that they need to brainwash themselves with great content.

01

Speaking Engagement
September 2024
18:55 PM CET


We taught machines to think like us, then slowly and almost without noticing began reshaping our own lives around the logic of machines.

“Have we become computers, again”


 Runtime: 12:04



As algorithms influence how we love, create, decide, and understand the world, the question is no longer whether computers are becoming more human. The more unsettling question is whether humans, in return, are becoming computers once again.
Auditorium Parco Della Musica
Salone Ennio Morricone
Roma - Italia


Watch Selim Ünlüsoy’s full TEDxRoma talk on YouTube. ↗

Filmed Live
Rights Reserved by: TEDxRoma
Part of “Time” Event
Runtime: 12:04
1.1
1.2
1.3
[...] Our journey begins with her. The human computer. Then a constant evolution of form factors, graphical user interfaces, PCs, smartphones, humanoid robots, reasoning capabilities, even virtual influencers follow… 

It took us just a little more than three quarters of a century to circle back to where we got started. We see that these machines, or imagery generated by these machines, once distinctly separate in their mechanical nature, now reach for the essence of humanity. They seek to emulate the very beings who gave them form.

So the question is,
As our machines are striving to become more human,
Have we, once again, become computers?

02

Two Letters / Infinite Meanings


Keynote by Selim Ünlüsoy

We keep repeating “AI” as if those two letters have already been explained, even as their meaning keeps mutating beneath us.
Audio / Visual Content
Runtime: ~40 mins.

Behind Artificial Intelligence sit more unsettling possibilities: Addictive Intelligence, Artificial Intimacy, Automated Imitation and Amplified Inequality.
Interactive
Presentation

The real story is not only about what machines are learning to do, but about what humans may slowly forget, surrender or stop questioning.

Talk by: Selim Unlusoy
Sponsored by: LePub (Part of Publicis Groupe)
30 - 40 min, Followed by Q&A, Non-Linear
ISBN: Not Applicable
Printed by: Not Applicable
Amsterdam,
The Netherlands
2.1
Sydney,
Australia
2.2
Belgrade,
Serbia
2.3

Two Letters / Infinite Meanings is a keynote by Selim Ünlüsoy exploring how artificial intelligence is changing the way we think, work, create and connect.

The talk looks beyond AI’s technical capabilities to the human questions beneath them: what happens when convenience becomes dependence, productivity reshapes the value of work, synthetic imagery challenges our sense of authenticity, and machines enter our emotional lives? It also considers the physical resources and wider responsibilities behind seemingly effortless digital experiences.

Drawing on his perspective in the creative industries, Selim asks what becomes more valuable when technical execution is increasingly accessible. Judgment, taste, lived experience and cultural understanding sit at the heart of that inquiry.

Critical but hopeful, Two Letters / Infinite Meanings invites audiences to consider the choices they make as creators, leaders and users of AI. Its central concern is human agency: how we can shape our relationship with these systems, rather than simply adapt to what they make possible.

03

The Artificial Intelligence
Transparency Tag Project


March 2025

A simple and universal way to declare AI involvement. 
Signaling Human Authorship
Type 0-24-DK


As AI becomes integrated into creative and professional workflows, transparency about authorship is essential. AITT: provides a simple, universal standard that respects both human creativity and AI collaboration.
AITT: H / X1 / X2 / X3 / G
System Tags


Explore more at:
https://aitt.dev ↗

Initiative by: Selim Unlusoy
Developed with: Lovable Platforms, LLC.
QR Scanning, Digital Ether, 2400 × 3200 px

Accessed by: The World
3.1
3.2
3.3
AITT, the Artificial Intelligence Transparency Tag, is a universal framework for communicating how AI contributed to a piece of written content. It introduces a clear authorship spectrum ranging from Human to Hybrid to Generated, making AI involvement visible without reducing complex creative processes to a simple yes-or-no label.

Through the AITT platform, users can generate a reusable tag, record authorship metadata, add a timestamp, and export a badge for documents, emails, presentations, and editorial work. Tool-agnostic by design, AITT offers a practical layer of transparency that can work alongside emerging regulations, disclosure policies, and provenance standards such as the EU AI Act, Content Credentials, and C2PA.

04

Gamer Grease


March 2012

A study of the fleeting traces left by human touch on mobile gaming devices, where grease and smudges become records of interaction. 
Personal Project
Type 0-24-DK

These marks reveal the subconscious choreography of play, mapping habits, concentration, frustration, and victory across the screen. 
Biologic Residue
On Gorilla Glass

Seen as organic data rather than imperfection, they expose the hidden relationship between physical gesture, digital design, and the player.

Author: Selim Unlusoy
Under Alias: Vogler & Schultz
112pp, 6 Games, Digital Repurcussions

Noted by: NoPress® Press Ltd
4.1
4.2
4.3
[...] A series of studies on the residual traces left behind on mobile gaming devices—human grease, an ephemeral yet telling imprint of interaction. Often dismissed as an unfortunate byproduct of our tactile existence, these delicate patterns are seen as an obstruction, an unwanted veil between user and content. But I see something else.

To me, these ghostly residues form a living cartography of engagement, mapping the subconscious gestures of players as they navigate virtual landscapes. They are artifacts of concentration, dexterity, and habit—each streak and smudge an unintentional testament to the choreography of play. Within these marks, I find echoes of frustration, victory, and immersion, a silent dialogue between human intention and digital response.

Rather than imperfections, I see these traces as a form of organic data visualization, an ever-changing micro-topography of interaction. Here, the boundaries between the physical and the digital blur, revealing the hidden rhythms of UI/UX design and the ways in which we, as players, leave behind a part of ourselves in the games we play.

This is an ongoing exploration, a study of the unseen artistry embedded in the most fleeting of marks. And so, I continue to play...

05

On Living


 Yaşamaya Dair (1947 - 1948)

With reverence, humility and more courage than certainty, I dared to translate On Living, hoping to carry something of Nâzım’s voice into English. Personal Project
Circa 2025 AD.

https://onlivingpoem.com ↗
Nazım Hikmet Ran
15 Jan 1902 - 3 June 1963

Nâzım Hikmet was a poet of immense tenderness and courage, who gave modern Turkish verse a new music and transformed a life marked by prison and exile into enduring words of love, freedom and human dignity.

Author: Nazım Hikmet Ran
Translated by: Selim Ünlüsoy
Digital, Dedicated Responsive Page, 1600px

Printed by: You® Press Ltd
5.1
[...] No matter the occupation, I believe every human should obsess about something. That one thing that is totally yours. Getting dangerously good on tiramisu? Go for it. Understanding space-time continuum like no one else? Totally. 

Mine, is a poem.

Mother of all poems I've known. Nazım Hikmet Ran's "Yaşamaya Dair" is not merely a 3 part piece of eternal wisdom written between 1947-48, it is a unique perspective on human nature as well as mother nature. An audacious guide about this experience we are all captured in. 

It has forever bugged me that I never could share it beyond my Turkish speaking friends. No translation ever satisfied me. 

So here's me, not a poet or writer, certainly not a professional translator, trying to translate my favorite poem. The work took over a year of on and off sessions.

Thinking

Essay · 1 October 2026 · 6 min read

Keep your hand in

Artificial intelligence promises to give us time back. What we do with it will tell us whether we have made any progress.

Read the essay →

Questions running through Selim Ünlüsoy’s talks and projects: how AI changes culture, what authorship means, and what remains distinctly human as technical possibilities expand.

Human agency in the age of AI

When convenience becomes dependence, what do we stop questioning? Two Letters / Infinite Meanings explores the human choices beneath AI’s capabilities, including the value of judgment, taste, lived experience and cultural understanding.

Read the keynote overview →

Authorship beyond human or machine

Creative work can involve AI in many different ways. AITT makes that involvement visible through a spectrum of Human, Hybrid and Generated authorship, rather than reducing the process to a yes-or-no label.

Explore the AITT project →

The machines we become

We taught machines to resemble us. How has their logic begun to shape us in return? Selim’s TEDxRoma talk follows that question through the evolving relationship between people and computers.

Watch the TEDxRoma talk →

Talks

Talks by Selim Ünlüsoy on artificial intelligence, creativity, culture and the changing relationship between people and machines.

Two Letters / Infinite Meanings

A keynote exploring how AI is changing the way we think, work, create and connect. It asks what happens to human agency when intelligent systems enter our creative, professional and emotional lives.

Format: approximately 30–40 minutes, followed by questions and discussion.

Explore the keynote →

Have we become computers, again

A TEDxRoma talk examining a reversal: as machines become more human, people increasingly organize their lives around the logic of machines.

TEDxRoma · Rome · 2024 · 12 minutes

Read about the talk →
Watch the public recording →
View the official TEDxRoma speaker profile →
Explore the TEDxRoma 2024 programme →

SXSW Sydney · Le Checkpoint

Sydney · October 2025

Selim delivered a keynote at Le Checkpoint, the lounge hosted by Publicis Groupe ANZ during SXSW Sydney 2025.

Read the event coverage in LBB →

Further context: Profile · Explore the thinking

Projects

Selected personal projects by Selim Ünlüsoy, exploring authorship, human behavior and cultural expression.

AITT — Artificial Intelligence Transparency Tag

A framework for showing how AI contributed to a piece of work. AITT introduces a spectrum from Human to Hybrid to Generated, making authorship more visible.

Read about AITT → · Explore the platform · Origin and purpose

Gamer Grease

A study of the marks people leave on mobile gaming devices. Fingerprints, streaks and smudges become records of gesture, concentration and play.

Explore Gamer Grease →

On Living

An English translation of Nâzım Hikmet’s Yaşamaya Dair, developed from a personal wish to share the poem beyond Turkish-speaking friends.

Read about the project → · Read the translation

Top Greetings, people of Earth. ↗