Türkiye’s tech vision goes beyond drones

At the SAHA 2026 defence expo in Istanbul, Selçuk Bayraktar delivered a message that reached far beyond military hardware. According to Daily Sabah, the architect behind Türkiye’s globally recognised drone industry warned that the gravest modern threat may not be conventional warfare, but the smartphones people carry every day.

Bayraktar argued that digital platforms have evolved into systems designed to exploit human psychology through fear, anger and addiction, trapping users inside what he described as a “spider web of digital dependence.” Technology companies, he said, are no longer merely service providers but structures capable of shaping political perceptions and human behavior on an unprecedented scale.

He called for a “Technological Solidarity Alliance” among allied and developing nations, built around decentralised and open-source digital systems that could reduce dependence on global technology monopolies.

On the same day, Burhanettin Duran echoed similar concerns at the NEXT TRT 2026 forum. Duran questioned who would govern societies in the future if algorithms already influence how people think and make decisions. He warned against becoming “semi-mechanised individuals whose minds are being controlled, swept by currents and algorithms from side to side, without knowing where we are going.”

Together, the two speeches reflected what Daily Sabah described as an emerging Turkish philosophy of technology — one focused not only on geopolitical competition but also on protecting human agency and dignity in the digital age.

The article argues that the era of a universal, American-led technology order is fading, replaced by a fragmented global system where states increasingly pursue technological sovereignty. The United States has tightened restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports, China has expanded its state-backed push for technological independence, and the European Union has introduced sweeping regulations targeting major digital platforms.

Within this environment, Türkiye is positioning itself as an alternative technological power with both military capability and a distinct philosophical outlook.

Türkiye’s defence industry has rapidly expanded in recent years. Defence and aerospace exports exceeded $10 billion in 2025, while five Turkish companies entered the global Defense News Top 100 rankings, including Aselsan, Turkish Aerospace Industries and Roketsan.

The country has also expanded exports of drones, naval vessels and missile systems to markets ranging from Poland to Indonesia. According to the article, Türkiye’s next-generation systems — including AI-powered loitering munitions unveiled at SAHA 2026 — signal Ankara’s ambition to shape the future of warfare through autonomous technologies.

Still, Daily Sabah notes that Türkiye faces a major challenge: translating military innovation into a globally competitive civilian technology ecosystem. While the defence sector has flourished, the country has yet to produce major international AI platforms or semiconductor industries comparable to leading global powers.

The article concludes that Türkiye’s greatest contribution may lie in its attempt to promote a human-centered technological model — one that rejects both Silicon Valley’s unchecked techno-optimism and China’s state-driven digital authoritarianism. But for that vision to become more than rhetoric, Türkiye must build the civilian technological infrastructure capable of turning philosophy into global influence.

By Sabina Mammadli