Selcuk Bayraktar, chairman of the board of trustees of the Turkish Technology Team Foundation (T3 Foundation) and chair of the defense firm Bayar, warned Friday that unchecked technological ambition could lead to “a terrible extinction” for humanity, its children, and future generations, urging the world to rethink the purpose of technological development.
“We aim to build a fairer, more beautiful and better world that serves the good of humanity along the path we are pursuing together with the TEKNOFEST generation,” Bayraktar said, referring to Turkiye’s premier aerospace, space, and technology festival, recently held in the country’s southeast.
The 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026), organized by the International Astronautical Federation, was held this week at the NEST Congress Center in the southern Turkish city of Antalya, co-hosted by the Turkish Space Agency and SAHA Istanbul under the coordination of the Industry and Technology Ministry. Anadolu Agency is the event’s global communications partner.
A panel titled “The Future Starts Here: Technology, Space and the Next Generation” was held during the congress, featuring Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir and Bayraktar, with Anadolu CEO Serdar Karagoz serving as moderator.
Speaking at the panel, Bayraktar said 1.6 million students had applied to competitions at the recent TEKNOFEST in Sanliurfa, southeastern Türkiye.
He said 55,000 students had applied to space-related competitions at TEKNOFEST to date, compared with 20,000 applicants across all competitions in the festival’s first year.
This year, 10,000 participants applied to the rocket competition, which he called a key technology for space access, while 796 applied to the vertical-landing rocket competition and 1,190 to the model satellite competition.
“These figures paint a truly hopeful picture for our journey into the skies and beyond, into space,” he said.
Bayraktar said the term “Kizilelma” (red apple) represents an ideal of civilization and a sacred goal to strive for. He said they had pledged to fly the Bayraktar KIZILELMA unmanned combat aircraft in the centenary of the Turkish Republic and achieved that goal a year ago.
He said their ambitions have since expanded, pointing to Fergani Space, a venture established to advance Türkiye’s independence and sovereignty in space.
Bayraktar said Fergani was established to develop the Ulugh Beg global positioning system, with funding in part from Baykar, which earns more than 90% of its revenue from high-tech exports. He said the initiative was intended to support independence in space for Türkiye and friendly and brotherly regions.
Also speaking at the panel, Anadolu CEO Karagoz said Türkiye has made remarkable strides in developing its own technology, pointing to its satellite production capabilities and plans for a mission to the Moon.
“We are no longer just a country that uses space technologies; we also develop it. We have an important goal ahead of us: the mission to the Moon. We are one of 11 countries worldwide capable of producing communications satellites,” he said.
Karagoz stressed the importance of developing skilled young people to compete internationally in technology.
“To compete in technology, you need strong human resources. That is why we have the TEKNOFEST generation,” he said.
“Against technology giants that develop technology for power and control, the TEKNOFEST generation, which develops technology for the benefit of humanity, gives us all hope.”
Karagoz also highlighted the progress Türkiye has made in the field. “Thirty years ago, Türkiye’s ambitions in space were something of a dream,” he said.
“But today, we see ideas turning into projects, and projects into tangible products.”
Bayraktar said Baykar had achieved the fastest transformation in the large-class unmanned aerial vehicle sector over 20 years, becoming the world’s largest manufacturer and a leading global exporter in the field.
He reiterated that more than 90% of Baykar’s revenues come from exports, saying this success had been made possible by sharing technology with friendly and brotherly countries.
“Our rapid pace of innovation enabled us to develop the most effective solutions on the battlefield. Wherever it has been used, this technology has brought independence. It has also enabled us to advance across different technological fields, including space, using entirely our own resources,” he said.
Bayraktar said the most valuable element in developing technology is people, emphasizing that the purposes technology is developed for matter more than the technology itself.
He noted that technologies widely believed to be civilian, including smartwatches and cellphones, can also be used as intelligence-gathering tools.
He said the next generation of technology developers is crucial, adding that this was one of the main reasons behind the establishment of TEKNOFEST.
“Success in unmanned combat aerial vehicles alone is not enough for a country to achieve full independence and prosperity. It must advance alongside all other fields. Developing a single unmanned combat aircraft cannot, on its own, guarantee sovereignty and independence,” he said.
Bayraktar said major monopolies had emerged in existing technologies around the world, adding: “Rather than focusing on today’s race, focusing on races that have yet to begin seems to be a more effective strategy for countries like ours — countries that are only beginning to build their technological ecosystems.”
He said countries need to strive to establish a presence across all technological fields while also developing strategies suited to their own scale and civilizational sphere.
Bayraktar described rapidly advancing high technology as the driving force behind the world’s most significant transformation. He said social media is an extraordinary technology that enables people to communicate by video and messages with others on the other side of the world.
However, he said humanity has become trapped in a web, with every step people take and even their heart rates being turned into data in the hands of global monopolies.
He argued that these companies can influence what people think, say, and do, adding that artificial intelligence is increasingly doing the thinking for people.
Bayraktar said the global order is pursuing a strategy of “make people addicted, create dependence, and leave them without alternatives.”
He said another path remains possible for humanity, emphasizing the need to recognize human dignity and reflect on the consequences of technological progress.
“We can see this in the wars that have recently begun and never seem to end. If we continue at this pace, driven by this ambition, a terrible extinction awaits us all — humanity, our children, and future generations,” he said.
Bayraktar said similar concerns had emerged after World War II, when global powers recognized the danger posed by the enormous accumulation of weapons and technological capabilities.
“If we play this game the same way once again, humanity itself will cease to exist,” he said.
He argued that the international order, rules, and institutions established to protect life and maintain global balance have been repeatedly violated and undermined.
Bayraktar said the TEKNOFEST generation, as well as intellectuals and elites involved in the space ecosystem, has an important responsibility.
“In a world where even the killing of babies can be rationalized, no one can truly be innocent, and such a world cannot continue to exist,” he said.
He reiterated that the goal of the path pursued with the TEKNOFEST generation is to build a fairer, better world that serves humanity.
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