Ahmet Ulvi TÜRKBAĞ defines himself as a natural lawyer (a member of The Society of Iuris Naturalis) and a trailblazing scholar whose intellectual journey bridges early computing culture with contemporary debates on the legal and ethical governance of artificial intelligence. Born into an Albanian-origin family in Istanbul during the late Industry 3.0 period, he developed a strong technical foundation, working with early computers such as the Sinclair ZX80 and Commodore 64 and mastering programming languages including BASIC, COBOL, PASCAL, C, and machine code while studying law at Istanbul University. Long before AI became central to legal and political agendas, he proposed the visionary PhD project, “The Limits of AI and Legal Philosophy,” and authored the (unpublished) study, “The Evolution of Machines.” Although interrupted by the “AI winter,” these works testify to his sustained commitment to the field. His academic contributions include major studies of Alexis de Tocqueville and the challenges of democracy; Spinoza’s ethics, politics, and law, Ronald Dworkin’s theory compared with Hart’s; and Donald Black’s radical Durkheimian sociology. Today, his scholarship integrates theories of justice, equality, and human rights with philosophically rigorous, institutionally grounded analyses of the opportunities and risks posed by artificial intelligence. He has taught “Ethical and Legal Problems of AI” for four years at Istanbul Medipol University Faculty of Law, is a founding member of the Research Group on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Judiciary at Maltepe University, and has served as an advisor to both the Ministry of Justice and the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s Artificial Intelligence Law Commission. Having taught at numerous universities, he currently serves as Head of the Department of Philosophy and Sociology of Law at Istanbul Medipol University Faculty of Law, following distinguished appointments at Istanbul University and Galatasaray University.
