Artificial intelligence (AI) is acknowledged as a pivotal force in global technology and innovation. While Turkey is making efforts to establish a foothold in this rapidly evolving domain, it encounters significant challenges. The country’s successful adaptation to AI could substantially enhance its technological capabilities and improve its competitive stance on the global stage. However, numerous obstacles remain to be addressed.
Turkey has made some notable investments in artificial intelligence. The Presidential Digital Transformation Office has been formulating digital transformation strategies, ensuring substantial progress in the AI sector. The National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (Ulusal Yapay Zekâ Stratejisi Eylem Planı), announced in 2021, aims to guide AI development through 2025. However, these efforts are often seen as initial steps rather than comprehensive solutions. The National Artificial Intelligence Strategy focuses on several key areas to drive AI development in Turkey:
Education and Human Resources: Developing AI talent through improved education programs and training initiatives. This includes integrating AI-related courses into university curriculums and offering specialized training programs to upskill the workforce.
Research and Development: Enhancing AI research capabilities by increasing funding for AI projects and establishing research centers. Encouraging collaboration between universities, research institutions, and the private sector is also a priority.
Data and Infrastructure: Building robust data infrastructure to support AI development. This involves creating a national data ecosystem, ensuring data availability, quality, and security.
Industrial Applications: Promoting the adoption of AI across various industries to improve productivity and innovation. Sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, and finance are targeted for AI integration.
Regulation and Ethics: Developing a regulatory framework that addresses ethical considerations and ensures the responsible use of AI. This includes establishing guidelines for data privacy, security, and ethical AI practices.
International Collaboration: Strengthening international partnerships to keep up with global AI advancements. Participating in international AI initiatives and fostering collaboration with other countries are emphasized.
Turkish universities and research centers are making contributions to AI, but the scale and impact of these efforts are limited. Institutions like Bilkent University, Boğaziçi University, and Koç University are at the forefront of AI research and education, offering specialized AI programs and conducting research in the field. The interest among students and academics in AI is growing, with many aspiring to specialize in AI and data science. Several universities have established AI programs and departments, such as Bilkent University’s advanced AI curriculum and Koç University’s AI research center, aiming to equip students with the necessary AI skills. However, the reach and impact of these programs are still limited, with many other universities lacking comprehensive AI courses and facing a shortage of specialized faculty and resources.
Middle East Technical University (METU) recently announced efforts to create an AI hub, aiming to position METU as a leader in AI and enhance Turkey’s competitiveness in this field. Additionally, a few universities, including Hacettepe University and Bahçeşehir University, have started offering majors in AI engineering, though these programs are relatively new and currently insufficient in scope.
The number of academic papers published by Turkish researchers in AI has been increasing, but it still falls short compared to leading countries. According to Scopus data, Turkey produced around 1,000 AI-related publications in 2022, whereas the United States, China, and Europe produced tens of thousands each. There have been some impactful AI papers by Turkish researchers, particularly in areas like natural language processing (NLP), computer vision, and machine learning. For instance, researchers from Boğaziçi University have published papers on NLP that have gained international recognition. However, these papers often lack the extensive funding, large-scale datasets, and collaborative networks that characterize leading research from the US, China, Japan, and Europe. This limits their overall impact and visibility in the global AI community. So, funding and resources for AI research and development are still limited compared to global standards. Turkish researchers contribute to international AI journals, but the volume and impact of these contributions are not yet significant enough to place Turkey among the top AI research nations. The bureaucratic hurdles and lack of sustained financial support hinder long-term progress. The strategy's success will depend heavily on increased investment and consistent policy support.
The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) has been instrumental in funding and promoting AI research projects nationwide with its various projects such as Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem Call 2024. TÜBİTAK's efforts include grants for AI-related research, support for innovative projects, and the establishment of AI-focused research centers. While these initiatives are steps in the right direction, they are not sufficient to position Turkey as a global leader in AI. The need for increased investment and international collaboration remains critical.
Turkish companies are beginning to recognize the potential of AI, but adoption remains slow and fragmented. One notable example is Yapay Zeka Fabrikası (AI Factory), which aims to support AI startups and projects across various sectors. Unlike traditional corporate AI labs, Yapay Zeka Fabrikası functions as an incubation center, providing crucial resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities to foster AI innovation. The center encourages partnerships between AI startups, academic institutions, and industry leaders, aiming to create a collaborative environment that drives AI innovation across different sectors. Some of their startups include T-Fashion on fashion, Sense More on machine technology, and many more in various fields. AI applications in Turkey are emerging in different sectors, but their implementation is inconsistent:
Healthcare: AI is used in diagnostic imaging and predictive analytics, but its adoption is limited to a few institutions. The healthcare sector overall is slow in integrating advanced AI technologies. For instance, Virasoft is a startup that focuses on AI-powered pathology solutions, aiming to enhance diagnostic accuracy and efficiency in medical imaging. However, more widespread adoption across healthcare facilities is needed.
Agriculture: AI-driven systems are beginning to improve efficiency, but many farmers lack access to these technologies due to high costs and limited awareness. Tarla.io is an AI startup that provides precision farming solutions, helping farmers optimize their crop yields and manage resources more effectively. Despite its potential, many farmers remain unaware or unable to afford such technologies.
Manufacturing: AI is enhancing production processes, but widespread adoption is hampered by outdated infrastructure and reluctance to invest in new technologies. Artiwise offers AI-driven solutions for process optimization and predictive maintenance in manufacturing. Yet, the transition to AI-powered systems is slow due to the sector's hesitation to replace traditional methods.
Finance: Besides İşbank, other financial institutions are slowly adopting AI for fraud detection and risk management, but comprehensive AI integration is still lacking. AloTech is a notable example, providing AI-driven customer service solutions for the finance sector. While promising, broader integration across all financial institutions is necessary to fully leverage AI’s benefits.
The number of AI startups in Turkey remains relatively low. Compared to global leaders in AI innovation, such as the United States and China, Turkey lags in nurturing AI startups and entrepreneurial ventures. Several factors contribute to this gap, including insufficient funding, lack of specialized talent, and a nascent ecosystem for tech entrepreneurship. According to a report by the Startup Genome, global AI startups receive significant venture capital investments, with the US and China leading the way. In contrast, Turkish AI startups struggle to secure similar levels of funding. In the US, AI startups received over $20 billion in venture capital funding in 2022, while Turkish AI startups received a fraction of this amount, according to data from Crunchbase. This is partly due to a smaller pool of venture capitalists and investors willing to take risks on emerging technologies in Turkey. The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report highlights that countries leading in AI have a higher concentration of skilled AI professionals. Turkey faces a talent shortage, with fewer university programs and professional development opportunities focused on AI, making it challenging for startups to find and retain qualified personnel. According to the Global Innovation Index, countries with thriving AI ecosystems have well-established tech hubs, strong industry-academia collaboration, and supportive government policies. Turkey's tech entrepreneurship ecosystem is still developing, with fewer AI-specific incubators, accelerators, and innovation hubs compared to leading AI nations.
AI-focused investment and incubation centers, like the Turkish AI Initiative (TRAI) (Türkiye Yapay Zeka İnsiyatifi), aim to raise awareness about AI and provide mentorship to AI startups. However, compared to global standards, particularly those of the US and China, the overall support for AI startups in Turkey is insufficient. The number of AI-specific incubators and accelerators in Turkey is limited. In contrast, the US has numerous programs such as Y Combinator and Techstars that provide extensive support, mentorship, and networking opportunities for AI startups.
Turkey faces several challenges in adapting to AI, including funding limitations, and a talent gap. While Turkey is making investments in AI, the allocation of funds is often not optimized. Investments tend to focus on hardware rather than a balanced approach that includes software development, talent acquisition, and long-term research projects. Diversifying funding to support a broader range of AI initiatives can lead to more sustainable growth. There is a shortage of skilled AI professionals in Turkey. To address this, there must be a focus on enhancing educational programs, creating specialized AI courses in universities, and offering continuous professional development opportunities. Additionally, incentivizing tech talent to stay in Turkey rather than seeking opportunities abroad can help bridge this gap. Overcoming these challenges requires increased investment, enhanced educational programs, and greater support for research and development. Moreover, to effectively address these challenges, it’s not just about increasing investments but also about strategic allocation. Developing AI-focused curriculums in secondary and tertiary education, providing scholarships for AI research, creating partnerships between universities and tech companies to offer hands-on training, providing grants for AI startups, and fostering collaborations between the government, academia, and the private sector to drive innovative solutions may be some of important, specific steps. Despite these obstacles, there are significant opportunities for growth. Investments in AI can boost Turkey's technological capacity, making it a more competitive player on the global stage, but seizing these opportunities requires sustained effort and strategic planning.