President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan outlined the main goals of the new Artificial Intelligence Action Plan during his speech at the Turkey Artificial Intelligence Summit. Erdoğan emphasized that Turkey is among the countries that recognized the technological transformation early and shaped their policies accordingly.
He noted that significant efforts are being made to transfer the expertise and capabilities gained in the defense industry to various technology fields, especially artificial intelligence. He expressed that the new action plan aims to position Turkey among the leading countries in artificial intelligence technologies.
The action plan will be built on four pillars
According to Erdoğan, the Artificial Intelligence Action Plan is structured around four fundamental pillars: "recognize, utilize, produce, and govern." Each pillar will include four complementary actions.
This framework indicates that artificial intelligence will be approached not only as a technical specialty but also as a broad transformation theme spanning public services, the economy, education, and production.
Artificial intelligence literacy workshops to be established in 81 provinces
Erdoğan announced the launch of the National Artificial Intelligence Literacy program to ensure citizens of all ages understand artificial intelligence correctly and use it safely. As part of the program, artificial intelligence literacy workshops will be implemented in 81 provinces.
The goal is to provide training to 5 million citizens within two years. This aims to expand the use of artificial intelligence beyond technology professionals to various age and occupational groups in society.
Target of 10,000 experts and 100,000 application professionals
In terms of human resources, the action plan aims to train 10,000 advanced artificial intelligence experts and 100,000 artificial intelligence application professionals. This target reflects Turkey’s intention to increase not only its user base but also its producer and implementer capacity within the artificial intelligence ecosystem.
According to the topics Erdoğan announced, education and skill development steps will aim to grow the qualified workforce needed by public institutions, the private sector, and technology startups.
Public data sets and investment share to be increased
At least 2,000 public data sets, especially in health, agriculture, defense, and e-commerce, are planned to be made available through the National Data Library. This step aims to strengthen data access for the development of artificial intelligence applications.
Erdoğan also announced that at least 2% of public investment programs will be allocated to artificial intelligence projects. In data centers, cloud, and artificial intelligence infrastructures, the goal is to mobilize at least $10 billion in resources, primarily from the private sector.
İstanbul to become a showcase for artificial intelligence
On the international front, the plan envisions positioning Istanbul as Turkey’s international showcase and investment diplomacy city in the field of artificial intelligence. This goal aims both to attract technology investments and to strengthen Turkey’s claim as a regional artificial intelligence hub.
Erdoğan also stated that, in cooperation with the Organization of Turkic States, a large common Turkic language model covering Oghuz, Kipchak, and Karluk languages will be developed gradually. It was noted that Turkey will play an active role in setting human-centered artificial intelligence standards on platforms such as the OECD, G20, and the United Nations.
