The share of individuals and businesses using artificial intelligence in Türkiye nearly doubled in 2026, with younger people and highly educated individuals reporting the highest levels of use, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) said in a statement on Friday.

The proportion of individuals using generative AI rose to 37.6% in 2026, up from 19.2% in 2025, while the share of enterprises using at least one AI technology increased to 14.0%, from 7.5% a year earlier, TurkStat said.

AI use was particularly widespread among younger people. In 2026, 64.9% of individuals aged 16-24 reported using generative AI, followed by 55.7% among those aged 25-34 and 38.1% among the 35-44 age group.

Usage rates were broadly similar between men and women, with 37.2% of males and 38.1% of females reporting the use of generative AI.

Higher education linked to greater AI use

AI adoption also varied significantly by educational attainment.

The highest usage rate was recorded among higher education graduates, at 62.7%, followed by high and vocational high school graduates at 45.4%, secondary or vocational secondary school graduates at 35.5%, and primary school graduates at 8.5%.

Among individuals using AI, 86.4% said they used it for private purposes, while 37.3% used it for professional activities and 32.6% for formal education.

There were differences between men and women in the reported purposes of AI use. Among men, 86.0% used AI for private purposes, 43.2% for professional purposes and 29.1% for formal education. The corresponding figures for women were 86.8%, 31.2% and 36.1%.

Business adoption rises

The share of enterprises using at least one AI technology climbed from 2.7% in 2021 to 14.0% in 2026, according to TurkStat.

AI adoption increased with company size. In 2026, 12.8% of enterprises employing 10-49 people used AI, compared with 17.0% of those employing 50-249 people and 37.1% of enterprises with 250 or more employees.

By economic activity, AI use was highest among enterprises engaged in telecommunications, programming and information activities, at 63.7%.

This was followed by enterprises involved in publishing, broadcasting and content activities, at 57.1%, and those engaged in the repair of computers and communication equipment, at 32.4%.

Marketing and sales lead AI applications

Marketing and sales were the most common business applications of AI in 2026.

Among enterprises using AI, 51.0% reported using the technology for marketing or sales. Research and development or innovation followed at 46.3%, while 43.4% used AI in production or service processes.

TurkStat noted that enterprises could select more than one purpose, meaning the percentages do not add up to 100%.

Open-source software widely used

Among businesses using AI, 67.8% reported using open-source AI software, either free of charge or for a fee.

Meanwhile, 49.1% used closed-source software, 46.5% had AI software or systems developed by external providers, and 32.1% developed AI systems using their own employees.

The data also showed that AI is being used to process personal information. 16.6% of enterprises using AI said they processed personal data such as gender, age, occupation, education, address information, purchase records or facial images.

Lack of expertise remains a major barrier

While 8.3% of enterprises that did not use AI said they were considering adopting the technology, several obstacles remained.

The most commonly cited barrier was a lack of relevant expertise within the enterprise, reported by 72.3% of businesses considering AI adoption.

This was followed by uncertainty over legal consequences, including liability for potential damage caused by AI, at 66.4%, and concerns over data protection and privacy violations, at 65.4%.

The figures indicate that AI adoption is expanding rapidly among both individuals and businesses in Türkiye, while shortages of expertise and concerns over legal and privacy issues remain significant challenges to wider business adoption. (ILKHA)