Artificial Intelligence - Turkey

Turkey's Presidency Digital Transformation Office published a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy covering 24 strategic objectives and 119 measures; a revised 2024–2025 Action Plan was issued in July 2024 to reflect emerging AI developments and align with international frameworks.

A major bill (Kanun Teklifi 2/3358, submitted 7 November 2025) proposes to amend the Turkish Penal Code and related laws to introduce a statutory definition of 'AI system', mandatory labelling of AI-generated/deepfake content, accelerated 6-hour takedown timelines, dataset anti-discrimination obligations, and new BTK enforcement powers and administrative fines. As of early 2026 the bill had not been enacted.

On 24 November 2025 the Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK) published a 63-page 'Guideline on Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Protection of Personal Data (in 15 Questions)', confirming that Law No. 6698 applies in full to all stages of generative AI systems that process personal data, with specific obligations on transparency, legal basis, cross-border transfers, and special-category data.

A presidential decree published in the Official Gazette on 25 December 2025 renamed the Ministry of Industry and Technology's National Technology General Directorate to the 'National Technology and Artificial Intelligence General Directorate' and established a new Public Artificial Intelligence Directorate General under the Presidency's Cybersecurity Directorate to coordinate AI integration across government.

In July 2025 Turkey became the first country to formally restrict an AI chatbot: an Ankara court ordered access blocks on specific Grok (xAI) outputs deemed to insult state figures, with BTK implementing the orders under Law 5651. A criminal investigation was launched by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor, establishing a precedent for applying existing internet and penal law to AI-generated content.

Turkey is not an EU member state and the EU AI Act does not directly apply; however, legal commentary and the pending 2025 bills indicate Turkey is tracking EU AI Act risk-based concepts (high-risk classification, transparency obligations) as a reference model, reflecting Turkey's broader ambition to align domestic digital law with EU standards.