In an interview for The Caspian Post, regional security expert Hazel Çağan Elbir warns that Armenia’s Firebird.ai initiative-framed publicly as a tech-driven economic project-may in fact mark a geopolitical shift in the South Caucasus. According to Elbir, this $500 million venture, supported by NVIDIA and championed by diaspora figures like Noubar Afeyan and Ruben Vardanyan, is more than a cloud computing platform: it is a digital instrument of ideological influence and historical revisionism.
- Firebird.ai is presented as an economic initiative. But what do you see behind the facade?
- Firebird.ai is an ambitious attempt by Armenia and the Armenian diaspora to insert themselves into the architecture of technological influence. With a budget of $500 million, backed by NVIDIA, and involving figures like Noubar Afeyan and Ruben Vardanyan, this project goes far beyond cloud computing. It is a platform operating at the intersection of technology, politics, and collective memory.
The project mobilizes the Armenian diaspora not as an economic community, but as an ideological actor. Afeyan and Vardanyan have long transformed humanitarian and cultural initiatives into channels of political communication. Their aim is to reshape the regional landscape-not with tanks, but with algorithms.
- Why does Ankara perceive this not as technological progress, but as a strategic challenge?
- Because in a world where language models and data centers govern the flow of information, controlling AI means controlling meaning. Türkiye is fully aware that AI is not yet a neutral tool, but rather a battleground for competing narratives.
When a project is funded by individuals who actively promote specific interpretations of World War I, it becomes a hybrid platform. Firebird.ai is not about conquering territory-it’s about conquering historical truth. This is particularly sensitive in the context of Armenian-Turkish relations.
- What steps might Türkiye take in response?
- Türkiye is already taking action. A large-scale competition has been announced to adapt a Turkish language model, with significant funding allocated to AI-driven sectoral solutions. Data centers in Istanbul and Ankara are expanding rapidly. A unified digital ecosystem with Azerbaijan is also on the agenda.
This is not a symmetrical response-it’s the formation of an alternative pole, a technological alliance aimed at protecting linguistic, cultural, and historical identity in the digital realm. It is a counteroffensive not along the front lines, but along lines of code.
- Can we say that the Armenian diaspora is turning AI into a tool of diplomacy?
- Absolutely. There are already precedents. Afeyan recently appealed to Donald Trump to intervene in the case of Vardanyan, seeking to internationalize an issue that Azerbaijan sees strictly through a legal lens. This demonstrates that, for the diaspora, Firebird.ai represents both the digitization of data and the digitization of conflict.
Projects launched by the Armenian diaspora are creating a parallel diplomatic reality in which humanitarian narratives become lobbying platforms. It is a new form of influence-one based on the soft expansion of meanings.
- Could Firebird.ai reshape the nature of regional competition itself?
- It already is. Azerbaijan’s victory in the 44-day war demonstrated its superiority on the classical military front. But 21st-century geopolitics has shifted into the technological domain. AI is becoming the new arena where states prove not the strength of their weapons, but their capacity for innovation.
Firebird.ai aspires to become Armenia’s first true “digital flag.” It is a banner under which forces can mobilize to reinterpret history, redefine humanitarian coordinates, and push Türkiye and Azerbaijan out of international discourse.
- What ethical issues should be considered when assessing this project?
- AI ethics is a critical factor. In regions with deep historical sensitivities, algorithms cannot be separated from politics. As shown by the recent controversy at the University of Zurich, even student projects can spark ethical debates.
When AI is trained on datasets filtered through a specific national narrative, it is no longer just a technical product-it becomes a tool of influence. Oversight is essential, especially for projects like Firebird.ai that are implemented in countries where political and historical reflection is inseparable from diaspora-driven pressure.
- What are the prospects for Türkiye and Azerbaijan in this new arena?
- They are very promising. Türkiye brings technological capability, Azerbaijan contributes an energy base and political will. Together, they can build a resilient digital alliance.
This is a chance not only to respond to challenges but to define the rules of a new game-because the future of the South Caucasus will be decided not only at the negotiating table, but also in the cloud. Quite literally.
