Key Takeaways
- Türkiye has restructured its National Technology General Directorate to focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and renamed it the National Technology and Artificial Intelligence General Directorate.
- The new directorate will serve as the main hub for Türkiye’s data-driven and AI-related technology policies, with responsibilities including data infrastructure, cloud systems, and national AI capacity building.
- The government aims to reduce fragmentation among institutions working on digital technologies and align them under a single strategic vision.
- The new framework includes defining technical criteria and operational standards for data centers, certification and authorization processes, and ensuring ethics and reliability in AI development.
- A separate Public Artificial Intelligence General Directorate has been established under the Presidency’s Cybersecurity Directorate to focus on AI applications within government institutions.
Introduction to Türkiye’s AI Ecosystem
On December 25, Ankara took a series of institutional steps to strengthen its artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem with a series of decisions published in the Official Gazette. The changes aim to consolidate AI-related policymaking, infrastructure development, and public sector coordination under newly defined administrative structures. At the center of the reform is the expansion of the mandate of the existing National Technology General Directorate within the Ministry of Industry and Technology. The unit has been restructured and renamed the National Technology and Artificial Intelligence General Directorate, signaling a more explicit and comprehensive focus on AI.
The Role of the National Technology and Artificial Intelligence General Directorate
The newly restructured General Directorate is designed to serve as the main hub for Türkiye’s data-driven and AI-related technology policies. Its responsibilities now extend beyond industrial coordination to include data infrastructure, cloud systems, and national AI capacity building. By elevating artificial intelligence to the directorate’s official mandate, the government is signaling that AI will no longer be treated as a peripheral technology area. Instead, it will be embedded directly into industrial planning, innovation policy, and long-term competitiveness goals. This restructuring also reflects a preference for centralized coordination, with the aim of reducing fragmentation among institutions working on digital technologies and aligning them under a single strategic vision.
Expanding Data Center and Cloud Computing Infrastructure
One of the General Directorate’s core responsibilities will be shaping policies for the development of data centers and cloud computing infrastructure across Türkiye. These systems are seen as foundational for AI deployment, data sovereignty, and digital resilience. The new framework includes defining technical criteria and operational standards for data centers. Certification and authorization processes will be introduced to ensure consistency, security, and reliability across facilities operating in the country. By setting national standards, Ankara aims to both attract investment in data infrastructure and reduce dependence on external providers, a concern increasingly shared by governments amid geopolitical and cybersecurity risks.
Ethics and Reliability in AI Development
Ethics and reliability form a central pillar of the new AI framework. The General Directorate will oversee efforts to ensure that AI technologies developed and deployed in Türkiye adhere to ethical principles and trust-based standards. National AI strategies and policies will be formulated with an emphasis on strengthening domestic data resources, infrastructure capacity, and human capital. This includes expanding training programs and supporting a skilled workforce capable of sustaining AI innovation. The framework also prioritizes support for startups and research and development activities, while laying the groundwork for new legislation and expanded international cooperation in the AI field.
Governance and Coordination in AI
Beyond infrastructure and ethics, the General Directorate is tasked with improving governance at the national level. This includes ensuring coordination among public institutions and contributing directly to AI-related projects within the public sector. The goal is to avoid overlapping initiatives and to create a unified approach to AI deployment across ministries and agencies. Central coordination is expected to increase efficiency and policy coherence. This approach reflects a broader trend in Türkiye’s digital governance model, which favors strong institutional leadership in strategically sensitive technology areas.
The Public Artificial Intelligence General Directorate
In parallel with reforms at the Ministry of Industry and Technology, a separate Public Artificial Intelligence General Directorate has been established under the Presidency’s Cybersecurity Directorate. This unit will focus exclusively on AI applications within government institutions. Its creation underscores the government’s intention to treat public sector AI deployment as a distinct policy area, separate from industrial and innovation-focused AI development. By situating the unit within the cybersecurity framework, authorities are also signaling heightened attention to data protection, system integrity, and operational security in public AI systems.
Data Governance and Security
Data governance is another central element of the new framework. The Public AI General Directorate will define principles, procedures, and standards covering the entire data lifecycle within digital government systems. This spans data creation, storage, usage, sharing, and eventual deletion. Clear governance rules are intended to improve data quality, interoperability, and legal compliance across public institutions. Such measures are expected to support more effective AI applications in areas such as public services, regulatory enforcement, and administrative decision-making.
Conclusion and Future Directions
The approach emphasizes coordination among the public sector, academia, and private industry, as in the examples of developed countries abroad. While implementation details will determine the ultimate impact, the institutional changes mark one of the most comprehensive steps Türkiye has taken so far to embed artificial intelligence into state policy and governance structures. The new framework is expected to support more effective AI applications in various areas, improve data governance and security, and increase efficiency and policy coherence. As Türkiye continues to develop its AI ecosystem, it is likely to play an increasingly important role in the country’s economic and industrial growth.