ADANA, Türkiye
AI is a bit like a re-invention of writing, as before writing people relayed information verbally but now the world has gained the ability to transfer information in a systematic way, said the head of T3, the organizer of Türkiye’s premier technology event TEKNOFEST.
Speaking at Anadolu’s Technology Desk in the southern city of Adana this weekend during TEKNOFEST, Selcuk Bayraktar said technology has transformed the world.
“Today AI technology is an area that can provide great service to all humanity, in the fields of health and education, as well as creating much wider wealth for humanity,” he explained.
“Unfortunately, as a bad application of technology, it can be used to kill the most civilians in a genocide in the most effective way.”
AI is a quite impressive technology, and one that will change and transform the world, said Bayraktar, who is also chief technology officer of Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) producer Baykar.
He said Baykar uses AI to fly planes much more safely, and it uses AI to create a smarter route autonomy.
“But we don’t use it for weapon engagement, we use it to recognize meteorological obstacles and take action accordingly,” he added.
TEKNOFEST
On TEKNOFEST, which concludes on Sunday, Bayraktar said that there is a great hope and enthusiasm for the future at the event, independent of everything that is happening in the world.
He said TEKNOFEST heralds the construction of a new world, as it has surrounded Türkiye, crossed its borders, and even started to be held in nearby friendly regions.
Besides Türkiye, in 2022 TEKNOFEST was held in Azerbaijan, he said, adding that other friendly and neighboring countries would like to host the event.
Emphasizing that TEKNOFEST can reach all sectors of society, regardless of socioeconomic status, Bayraktar said: “There are children brought here from the most remote villages. Because as you know, humanity is the greatest value. In our belief, human beings are equal to creation. In other words, humans are the most honorable of all created beings.”
Saying TEKNOFEST is an educational platform that aims to provide people with the best technology at the youngest age, Bayraktar added: “This approach should continue in a similar way in national education, universities, and beyond.”
Baykar’s products
Emphasizing that Baykar exports ideas to the world, Bayraktar said that the value of sales abroad stems from ideas.
Turkish UAVs are spearheading an aviation revolution, he said, includng Baykar’s unmanned combat jet Kizilelma.
He said: “We’ve already started production and mass production, UAVs have been talked about in the world for almost 15-20 years, but there are not many platforms in the world that have been put into production or mass production.”
A Kizilelma prototype has flown, and the firm has started mass production, he said.
Next year, Baykar plans to produce more than 10 Kizielmas and to step up production, he added.
“There’s a lot of international demand,” he said, but added that no contracts have been signed as “this is our approach.”
Kizilelma was developed entirely with Baykar’s own resources, and required an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars, but Baykar made the investments with their export income without needing a penny of loans, he said.
Baykar accounted for one-third of Türkiye’s defense exports last year, Bayraktar said, adding: “This was thanks to high-tech UAVs, and this way we developed Bayraktar’s Akinci, TB3, and Kizilelma with our own resources without the need for any (outside) resources.”
Bayraktar explained: “Kizilelma will be produced quickly, it’s being produced now. It’s not easy to speed up production, as that requires a separate investment.”
On the TB3, another Baykar UAV, he said: “We’re also continuing land-based trials of Bayraktar TB3 through the end of this year, and then we’ll start ship-based trials. The land version has started production, and next year, the naval version will do the same.”
Stating that Baykar has a space initiative in addition to UAVs, he said, “Currently, about 80 engineers are working (on this). We’re building a global positioning system.”
This technology goes beyond the atmosphere, drawing on resources from high-tech exports, and only one other company in the world is working in a similar field, he said.
