Erdogan Issues Artificial Intelligence Action Plan Directive: Ministry of Industry Named Coordinator

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the directive putting into effect Turkey's Artificial Intelligence Action Plan (2026-2030); the text was published in the Official Gazette today. The Ministry of Industry and Technology was designated as the coordinating body of the plan; collaboration among public institutions, private companies, universities, and civil society organizations is envisioned.

The directive emphasized that artificial intelligence is a "critical technology emerging from the combination of big data, advanced computing capacity, and algorithmic innovation." It was noted that countries' competitive strength and technological sovereignty are shaped by competence in this field, and the plan is built on five pillars: human-centricity, reliability, ethical responsibility, digital sovereignty, and sustainability.

Why now: Turkey's previous National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2021-2025) has reached the end of its term. That document was criticized in practice for a lack of coordination; different ministries carried out overlapping AI projects independently, and a shared data infrastructure could not be established.