Erdogan Signs AI Action Plan Decree: Industry Ministry Appointed as Coordinator

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the decree implementing 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 for the plan; joint work by public institutions, private companies, universities, and civil society organizations is envisioned.

The decree emphasized that artificial intelligence is a "critical technology emerging from the combination of big data, advanced computing capacity, and algorithmic innovation." It stated that countries' competitive strength and technological independence are shaped by their competence in this field, and that 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 expired. That document was criticized in implementation for lack of coordination; different ministries conducted overlapping AI projects independently, and a shared data infrastructure could not be established.