One in five uses AI in Türkiye, official data shows

ANKARA

Türkiye’s official statistics office has released comprehensive data on artificial intelligence (AI) usage for the first time, showing that one in five people in the country is using AI, highlighting growing adoption among individuals and businesses alike.

Young people are leading the way in the use of artificial intelligence, with adoption rates highest among those in their late teens and early twenties, while older generations are slower to embrace the technology, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) data published on Oct. 1.

Education also makes a difference, with university graduates far more likely to use AI than those with lower levels of schooling. The data shows that while AI usage is around 36.1 percent for university graduates, it is just 2.2 percent for primary school graduates.

According to statistics, most individuals use AI for personal reasons, but many also turn to it for professional tasks or learning.

Among those who do not use AI, more than half said they simply did not need it, while others cited lack of knowledge, unawareness of AI tools, or privacy and security concerns.

Businesses in Türkiye are increasingly exploring AI as well.

In 2021, only 2.7 percent of Turkish enterprises reported using AI technologies. By 2025, this figure had risen to 7.5 percent, figures showed.

Larger companies are more likely to adopt the technology, with the information and communication sector at the forefront, followed by finance and insurance, and computer equipment repair.

Companies mainly apply AI to improve marketing and sales, but it is also used to support production, research and daily operations.

For businesses that have not yet embraced AI, the main barriers remain a shortage of expertise, high costs and uncertainty about legal regulations.

Still, 9 percent of the companies that have not yet adopted AI plan to do so in the future.