Istanbul Chamber of Commerce targets AI expansion in 2026

ISTANBUL

Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) President Şekib Avdagiç announced that the organization aims to expand the use of artificial intelligence across the business world in 2026, emphasizing the goal of “creating an AI wind” and raising awareness of the technology.

According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), AI usage among businesses currently stands at 7.5 percent, while large-scale manufacturing companies report adoption rates exceeding 20 percent, he said.

Avdagiç noted that Turkish enterprises are increasingly embracing AI, with 2025 figures showing that 46.5 percent of companies use AI software or systems for marketing and sales, 41.1 percent for production or service processes, 41 percent for R&D, and 40 percent for business management.

He highlighted that since 2018, ITO has been leading initiatives in digitalization and artificial intelligence, establishing the ITO Technology Ecosystem. This includes three complementary structures: SoftITO, the Knowledge Commercialization Center, and Teknopark Istanbul.

Avdagiç underlined that the Chamber’s 800,000 members are expected to benefit from the widespread integration of AI in the coming years.

He also pointed to global projections estimating that AI technologies will contribute $15.7 trillion to the world economy by 2030. Industries that heavily utilize AI see employee income growth three times higher than average, while workers with AI skills earn approximately 56 percent more than their peers.