Digital Atatürk, Collective Memory, and Political Longing: A Sociological Analysis of AI-Generated Representation of Atatürk on YouTube

This study investigates the sociopolitical and affective implications of an AI-generated simulation of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, published on the Siber Sörfçü YouTube channel. In the context of contemporary Turkey’s political crises, leadership vacuum, and collective memory anxieties, the AI Atatürk video has sparked intense public attention. Based on a qualitative thematic analysis of 1,852 user comments, the study identifies four central themes: (1) Those Who Felt Emotions and Those Who Miss Atatürk, reflecting viewers’ nostalgic and affective engagement; (2) Comparison with the Present and the Permanence of Atatürk’s Ideas, highlighting how Atatürk is invoked as a moral and political benchmark against contemporary dissatisfaction; (3) Supporters of Artificial Intelligence Leadership, where some viewers symbolically support AI-led governance as a response to perceived failures of human leadership; and (4) Appreciation of Technical Achievement, demonstrating admiration for the simulation’s realism, innovation, and immersive quality. Rather than isolated reactions, these themes are intertwined, revealing how AI functions as both a commemorative and speculative political tool. Drawing on theories of collective memory (Halbwachs), social construction of reality (Berger and Luckmann), digital nostalgia (Niemeyer & Keightley), and algorithmic power (Beer), the study shows how AI-mediated representations of historical figures serve as emotional and symbolic responses to current sociopolitical conditions.