Türkiye establishes new AI directorates to drive national strategy

Türkiye has launched a significant restructuring of its institutional framework to accelerate national strategy in artificial intelligence. Official decrees published Thursday reveal the creation of two new directorates designed to govern and promote AI development across public and private sectors.

Renamed Directorate to Broaden Tech Policy

The first key change involves the Ministry of Industry and Technology. Its Directorate General of National Technology has been formally renamed the Directorate General of National Technology and Artificial Intelligence. Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır stated this body will now craft policies to expand critical infrastructure like data centers and cloud computing. It will also set certification standards, support AI startups and research, and coordinate national AI governance to ensure ethical and reliable development.

New Public-Sector AI Body Under Cybersecurity Presidency

A second, entirely new entity has been established: the Public Artificial Intelligence Directorate General. This unit will operate under the Presidency's Cybersecurity Directorate, focusing specifically on guiding AI integration across all government institutions. Its mandate includes regulatory work for public AI applications, aligning national laws with international frameworks, and establishing data governance principles for the digital government.

Strategic Goals and Inter-Sector Coordination

According to Minister Kacır, the new directorate will identify institutional needs, create shared data-space infrastructure, and define quality standards for public datasets. "With strong coordination among stakeholders in the public sector, academia, and the private sector, we will ensure that Türkiye becomes one of the leading countries in the field of artificial intelligence," he said. This dual-structure approach aims to position Türkiye competitively in the global AI landscape while managing technological adoption securely and strategically.