Bayraktar warns of 'techno-capitalist' threat to sovereignty

Baykar Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar warned Saturday that global technology conglomerates are leveraging artificial intelligence and consumer software to impose a new era of "techno-capitalist dominance" that threatens national sovereignty and individual free will, describing modern digital platforms as instruments of neurological exploitation designed to erode independence through algorithmic manipulation and optimized screen-time loops.

Neurological exploitation

Speaking at the Türkiye Artificial Intelligence Summit, Bayraktar said contemporary threats increasingly target supply chains, data centers, and personal devices rather than conventional armies massing at borders. "Today, the greatest threat to our independence is not conventional armies massing at our borders," he said, adding that background AI systems analyze neurological vulnerabilities to trigger dopamine releases through content explicitly optimized for anger, hedonism, and fear.

Open-source alternative

To counter the resource monopolies of global technology cartels, Bayraktar urged developing nations and allied countries to construct independent, transparent, and auditable open-source ecosystems rather than competing on raw processing power. He compared modern digital giants' immense energy demands to ancient monolithic structures built to elevate rulers' egos, advocating instead for distributed learning architectures that keep sensitive data localized within national borders while algorithms train across networks without violating privacy.

Domestic platforms

He highlighted domestic platforms developed by the Teknofest generation to secure digital autonomy, including NSosyal, which facilitates face-to-face style communication without toxic algorithms, TE3 AI, a large language model trained on local cultural values, and Kure, an open-source encyclopedia delivering verified knowledge. "The ultimate bearer of this cause and goal is not the speed of the machine, but the consciousness of the human being," Bayraktar said, noting that Baykar develops autonomous drone swarms and doctrine-altering defense technologies through this youth-driven movement.