In AI, Türkiye wants to replicate gains achieved in defense industry

Türkiye is updating its national artificial intelligence strategy as it seeks to replicate the technological gains achieved in its defense industry, whose advancements have overhauled warfare concepts.

Government institutions, defense companies and private-sector firms are intensifying efforts to expand the country’s AI capabilities in areas ranging from large language models and public-sector applications to data infrastructure and autonomous defense systems.

The initiative comes as AI increasingly reshapes global industries, including manufacturing, finance, health care, defense and public administration, prompting countries to compete for technological leadership and digital sovereignty.

The updated strategy is said to aim to position Türkiye among countries capable not only of using AI technologies, but also designing, producing and exporting them competitively on a global scale.

New national AI action plan

Türkiye has begun final preparations for a revised national AI road map coordinated by the Industry and Technology Ministry.

The ministry recently gathered recommendations and stakeholder input under what officials described as a “collective intelligence” and “social ownership” approach. The updated “Artificial Intelligence Action Plan” is expected to be unveiled next month.

The road map is expected to prioritize increasing AI computing power, accelerating digital transformation across industries and public services, and expanding the domestic ecosystem for advanced AI technologies.

Authorities also plan to widen AI-focused education and workforce programs aimed at training specialists capable of turning public-sector data into commercially and strategically valuable applications.

Focus on Turkish-language AI models

One of Türkiye’s most visible AI initiatives centers on developing Turkish-language large language models.

T3 AI, developed through a partnership between the T3 Foundation and drone pioneer Baykar, entered beta testing in July 2025 through the NSosyal social media platform. The open-source model is designed to operate in Turkish as well as multiple other languages.

The project includes cooperation from institutions such as the Education Ministry, state-owned Anadolu Agency (AA), public broadcaster TRT, Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA), the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) and Microsoft.

Meanwhile, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBITAK) is continuing efforts to build another domestic large language model tailored specifically to Turkish linguistic and cultural nuances.

Domestic data infrastructure push

Türkiye is also accelerating investments in domestic data-center infrastructure in an effort to keep sensitive data stored and processed within the country.

Under a partnership between Turkcell and Google Cloud, hyperscale data centers are planned in Ankara, with full operational capacity targeted by 2028.

The facilities are expected to support cloud computing, AI training and high-performance data processing while helping reduce reliance on overseas infrastructure.

Defense industry takes leading role

Türkiye’s defense sector, which has gained international prominence through combat drones and indigenous military systems, is expected to play a central role in the AI transformation.

The Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) earlier this year released a request-for-information document for the ALFA Artificial Intelligence, Quantum and Autonomous Systems Exercise.

The exercise scenarios include interoperability, swarm drone capabilities, urban operations, underwater infrastructure protection and quantum-encrypted communication among unmanned aerial vehicles.

Defense company Havelsan has also expanded its MAIN corporate AI platform, which focuses on Turkish-language capabilities and public-sector applications.

According to the company, the platform includes a 9-billion-parameter large language model optimized for Turkish and supports more than 200 languages for translation, summarization and text analysis.

Additional capabilities include voice-command processing, meeting-note generation, tactical planning, media analysis, cybersecurity assistance and coding support.

Public institutions adapt to AI era

Public institutions are also moving to integrate AI-compatible systems and standards.

The Directorate of Communications has launched a technical transformation initiative for government websites aimed at improving the way AI systems identify and interpret official information online.

Authorities say the effort is designed to strengthen the visibility and integrity of official information while helping counter digital misinformation and manipulation.

The initiative is expected to enable AI systems to accurately recognize and interpret the content, institutional structures and primary reference areas found on the websites of public institutions.

It aims to preserve the integrity of public information, increase the visibility of official content and strengthen Türkiye’s communication capacity.

The directorate also became the first Turkish public institution to join the open-source AI platform Hugging Face, which has more than 18 million users globally and hosts over 2.4 million AI models.

Cooperation with Turkic states

Türkiye is also seeking broader regional cooperation on artificial intelligence through the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).

At an informal summit held this month in Turkistan, Kazakhstan, member states discussed joint initiatives, including the development of a shared Turkic large language model and broader AI collaboration.

The countries also agreed to prepare an AI and Digital Development Action Plan by the end of the year, focusing on areas such as education technologies, health care systems, cultural preservation and economic integration.

DAILYSABAH