Mehmet Fatih Kacır outlines Turkey's AI strategy at TOBB summit

At the TOBB Business AI Summit in Ankara, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır said global AI investments reached $1.5 trillion last year and warned that countries unable to build digital infrastructure risk becoming a "digital pariah". He highlighted that leading AI nations are adopting protective, selective policies and stressed the need for Turkey to integrate AI across value chains.

Kacır announced the launch of several AI ecosystem initiatives, including 62 funded collaboration projects and a new call open until 14 September for solutions in smart manufacturing, agriculture, fintech, climate, education and more. He also introduced a program to adapt Turkish large‑language models for sector‑specific use, supporting ten strategic projects, and noted the establishment of the TÜBİTAK AI Institute. The minister emphasized that AI development must be guided by reliability, transparency, accountability, human‑centricity and ethical responsibility.