Preliminary Study on Turkey's Ai Policy: Strategic Ambiguity or Long-Term Uncertainty

Abstract

Despite the discussions over the national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy of Turkey since 2019, the report has not yet been published. This makes it difficult to comprehend Turkey's national AI targets and strategies. Digital Transformation Office (DTO) was established as an inter-institutional coordination unit to lead digital transformation (including AI). This study analyzes tweets, official website and YouTube videos of the Digital Transformation Office based on the principles in World Economic Forum's 2019 White Paper, "A Framework for Developing a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy". The main motivation of the research is to reveal Turkey's main concerns and priorities on the AI agenda. Despite the initial efforts and investments on AI, the inadequate evaluation of social and economic structures together with technological infrastructure indicates that Turkey has been experiencing long-term uncertainty in AI strategy.