Türkiye’s ascent as tech powerhouse shines at 8th AI summit with record crowds

Dilara Özer – ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s rise as a global AI hub shines through at the eighth Artificial Intelligence Summit in Istanbul on Oct. 23, drawing a record turnout of over 1,500 attendees, including tech giants and policymakers from 340 institutions.

Opening the event, Türkiye Artificial Intelligence Initiative (TRAI) founder Halil Aksu emphasized AI’s potential lies in its application rather than its theory. “Trillions of dollars are being invested in this technology, yet its impact on companies remains limited,” he said. “That’s why our slogan is ‘Beyond Intelligence,’” he added.

“No matter how smart AI becomes, we must learn to harness its power — to reflect it in processes, business models, customer experience and operations,” he stressed.

Representing Türkiye’s investment and finance office, Gökhan Yücel, stressed the country’s transformation into a “smart power.” He emphasized that Türkiye is already a major hard and soft power and added that “it is now time to become a smart power” by pushing cross-sectoral collaboration between governments, the private sector and tech ecosystem.

Yücel said that Türkiye holds immense potential in AI thanks to its young, dynamic workforce, rapid digitalization and growing startup scene.

The country currently has more than 1,100 active AI companies and six unicorns, with a goal of raising 100 unicorns by 2028, he added.

Aanchal Mehta, Meta’s regional head of policy programs, underscored the tech giant’s active role in Türkiye’s AI ecosystem. She noted that Meta is strengthening local digital skills by “working closely with academia and startups in Türkiye to ensure AI adoption that is not only scalable but also responsible.”

Responsibility and trust were recurring points of discussion throughout the panels. Peter Sondergaard, founder of an executive advisory firm that helps leaders navigate the complexities of digital transformation, underscored that trust is emerging as the key determinant of AI success.

“Perhaps we should start to actually have a trust index, knowing that a brand can be trusted not just for what it has done, but for what it chooses to do with AI,” he said.

“We live in a world without trust, and we have to adapt to that,” he added.

Another major theme marking the event was agentic AI — the type of AI capable of autonomous decision-making. Industry professionals explored its technical potential, possible applications and the ways organizations and policymakers may need to adapt to this emerging frontier.

Simultaneous sessions at three different stages showcased AI-driven advances across industries from retail and mobility to finance and defense.

The event concluded with the “BAŞLAT LLM Impact Program Demo Day, where three Turkish startups competing for global market reach shared a total of $50,000 in rewards. The second day of the event continued online, featuring AI in art, education and defense, as well as training programs led by TRAI Academy experts.