AI usage among individuals, businesses in Türkiye doubles

ANKARA

Artificial intelligence utilization among individuals and enterprises across Türkiye doubled in 2026 as digital tools expanded across personal routines and corporate operations, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) reported Oct. 2.

Generative AI usage among individuals surged to 37.6 percent from 19.2 percent in 2025. Women led adoption at 38.1 percent against 37.2 percent for men. Young people recorded the highest engagement, with the 16-24 age group reaching 64.9 percent and the 25-34 demographic at 55.7 percent. University graduates led educational levels at 62.7 percent, while primary school graduates trailed at 8.5 percent. Individuals deployed tools largely for private tasks at 86.4 percent and professional work at 37.3 percent.

Enterprise integration reached 14 percent, nearly doubling from 7.5 percent in 2025 and up from 2.7 percent in 2021. Firms with 250 or more employees led adoption at 37.1 percent, compared to 12.8 percent for small businesses. Sectorally, telecommunications and IT companies dominated at 63.7 percent. Businesses utilized AI primarily for marketing and sales at 51 percent, alongside research and innovation at 46.3 percent.

Open-source software accounted for 67.8 percent of corporate acquisitions. Some 16.6 percent of AI-integrated firms processed personal customer data. Companies avoiding the technology cited lacking internal expertise at 72.3 percent, liability ambiguities at 66.4 percent and privacy risks at 65.4 percent. The surge aligns with a worldwide push to draft comprehensive governance rules balancing technological innovation with data protection.