A Stark Warning for Türkiye in the AI Race: “Latecomers Will Remain Imitators”
Prof. Dr. Gaye Gencer of Yeditepe University’s Department of Business Administration said artificial intelligence is reshaping countries’ economic strength and competitiveness. Türkiye needs to integrate AI quickly and effectively into education, healthcare, finance, defense, industry, and public services, Gencer said. “Money, data centers, and chips are not the only scarce resources in the AI race. The real shortage is of skilled people.”
Gencer said the European Union and many countries are responding with strategic action plans and substantial investments in the AI race led by the United States and China. Türkiye also needs to adapt quickly to this global transformation, Gencer added.
“$10 billion in investment targeted by 2030”
Gencer noted that Türkiye announced its 2026–2030 AI Vision and Action Plan in June 2026. The plan aims to mobilize at least $10 billion in investment by 2030, primarily from the private sector, in data centers, cloud technologies, and AI infrastructure, Gencer said. Its targets also include increasing Türkiye’s installed data center power capacity to at least 1 gigawatt. Emphasizing that workforce development is one of the plan’s key priorities, Gencer said its goals include providing AI literacy training to 5 million people within two years, as well as training 10,000 advanced AI specialists and 100,000 professionals in AI applications.
“Our young people must become creators of AI”
Emphasizing the decisive role of a skilled workforce in the AI race, Gencer said, “Our most important goal should be to equip our young people to develop and build AI, rather than simply use it. Only then can we ensure that AI contributes to productivity, efficiency, and ultimately prosperity.” Gencer said countries’ economic strength in the years ahead will depend on their natural resources and accumulated capital, as well as how quickly they can turn technology into productivity gains. This, Gencer added, will require a workforce capable of using and developing AI to improve production and efficiency..
“AI education must begin in primary school”
Gencer said AI needs to be integrated into the education system starting in primary school, emphasizing that children and young people should learn to use it to improve their own productivity, rather than simply out of curiosity. As AI becomes more widespread, Gencer said, data will be collected and processed faster, and information will flow more effectively. This could bring substantial efficiency gains in production management, logistics, and financial planning. Gencer added that inventory costs could fall, defective products could decrease, and product quality could improve.
“We must manage change rather than resist it”
Gencer said AI will also bring major changes to the labor market. Some lines of work could disappear, while employment could decline in certain areas as efficiency improves. Gencer noted that historical transformations have also created new fields of work. Technological changes, from the Industrial Revolution to the transition to mass production using electric machinery, have brought major changes to the labor market. “Managing change rather than resisting it will move us forward,” Gencer said.
“The winners will be those who turn investment into added value”
Gencer said the debate over whether AI is “a bubble or the real thing” is also linked to how this transformation is managed. Investing in AI alone will not bring success, Gencer added. In the coming years, the winners will not simply be the countries or companies that invest the most money in AI. They will be those that turn their investment into productivity, added value, exports, and sustainable economic growth,” Gencer said. Gencer said countries that guide the transformation and shape the future of production, employment, and financing will become more prosperous. Those that are late to adapt, however, risk remaining mere imitators in the new system.