Türkiye to demonstrate potential at global stage AI Tomorrow Summit in June

Türkiye will showcase its offerings and potential in the artificial intelligence (AI) field at the AI Tomorrow Summit in Ankara on June 4–5, a sector representative told Anadolu.

⁠The AI Tomorrow Summit, whose global communications partner is Anadolu, will be held under the motto New Era New Responsibilities.

Zafer Kucuksabanoglu, founder and chair of the Artificial Intelligence Policies Association (AIPA), stated that nations all around the world are scrambling to secure a share of the approximately $16 trillion market volume AI is expected to generate by 2030.

Kucuksabanoglu stated that while countries are focused on AI as a top priority, national security and defense are second, with governments viewing AI as a tool to enhance security capabilities and defense efforts, leading to major investment in the sector.

“Governments worldwide are reshaping their populations, education systems, and work practices via AI,” he said, noting that while some states are making significant progress in social welfare and policy, education should also be part of these efforts.

He said privacy and ethics are also a high priority for nations worldwide, as AI brings both benefits and risks, prompting governments to implement regulations to protect citizens' rights.

Kucuksabanoglu said that amid the intense US-China AI race, the inclusion of tech leaders in US President Donald Trump’s delegation to Beijing signaled that AI has become central to diplomacy, “because the stronger you are in AI at the table, the louder your voice will be heard.”

“When we’re talking about a potential Third World War, we mean cyber wars and not wars in the trench — in the coming days, countries that are strong in tech and AI will take center stage on the battlefield and the negotiating table,” he said.

Kucuksabanoglu noted that 80.5% of the Turkish public is aware of AI, while 57.6% of respondents to AIPA’s survey use AI and 35.3% use AI daily, well above Europe’s figures.

“AI has become the central focus of the youth in Türkiye,” he said.

He mentioned that Türkiye established the General Directorate of National Technology and AI within the Industry and Technology Ministry, the Cybersecurity Agency, departments related to AI in public institutions, and relevant departments in universities. He said encouraging young people about AI and equipping them with tools can lead to “dozens or even hundreds of” Turkish unicorns to emerge in Türkiye’s goal to become one of the world’s top 10 economies.

Kucuksabanoglu said that AIPA’s goal is to showcase Türkiye’s perspective on AI and its potential to the world at the two-day summit in Ankara.

“The age of AI brings with it new responsibilities on everyone in society, and at the AI Tomorrow Summit, we will discuss all topics ranging from the economy to education and from foreign policy to agriculture to address our new responsibilities in this new era with over 60 speakers both from Türkiye and worldwide,” he said.

“Some 17 international speakers from seven countries will be at the event, and in the future, we will continue to hold the AI Tomorrow Summit in world capitals to continue demonstrating Türkiye’s potential in this field,” he added. “You can register for free at aitomorrowsummit.com and follow the summit.”

*Writing by Emir Yildirim in Istanbul