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Turkey has got used to AI: usage nearly doubled in a year

According to TÜİK 2026 data, people in Turkey using generative AI rose from 19.2% to 37.6%; differences by age, education and business.

How widespread is generative AI (tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude) in Turkey? A report published by CHIP Online on October 5, 2026, based on TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute) 2026 data, paints a striking picture.

Nearly doubled in a year

The share of people in Turkey using generative AI rose from 19.2% to 37.6% in a year.

People in Turkey using generative AI

In about 1 year

Previous year19.2%
202637.6%

Source: TÜİK 2026, via CHIP Online.

Who is using it?

By age:

  • Ages 16–24: 64.9%
  • Ages 25–34: 55.7%
  • Ages 35–44: 38.1%
  • Ages 45–54: 20.6%
  • Ages 55–64: 10.6%
  • Ages 65–74: 5.1%
Usage by age

Share of people using generative AI

16–2464.9%
25–3455.7%
35–4438.1%
45–5420.6%
55–6410.6%
65–745.1%

Source: TÜİK 2026.

By education: 62.7% among higher-education graduates; 45.4% at high-school level; 35.5% at middle-school level; 8.5% at primary-school level.

Usage by education

Higher education62.7%
High school45.4%
Middle school35.5%
Primary school8.5%

Source: TÜİK 2026.

By gender: 38.1% of women and 37.2% of men. The difference is very small.

What do they use it for?

  • Personal purposes: 86.4%
  • Work purposes: 37.3%
  • Education purposes: 32.6%
What is it used for?

Multiple purposes can be selected

Personal86.4%
Work37.3%
Education32.6%

Source: TÜİK 2026.

So most of the usage is everyday life rather than work: asking questions, writing, learning.

Why do some people not use it?

Reasons given by non-users:

  • Don’t feel the need: 63.3%
  • Don’t know how to use it: 18.7%
  • Unaware of the technology: 12.4%
  • Privacy and security concerns: 5.5%
Why don't they use it?

Reasons given by non-users

Don't feel the need63.3%
Don't know how to use it18.7%
Unaware of the technology12.4%
Privacy and security concerns5.5%

Source: TÜİK 2026.

Security concerns coming in so low shows that the main obstacle is not fear but knowledge and need.

The business side

  • The share of businesses using any AI technology rose from 7.5% in 2025 to 14% in 2026 (it was 2.7% in 2021).
  • Highest usage: telecommunications, software and IT (63.7%), publishing and content production (57.1%).
  • Most common areas: marketing and sales (51%), R&D and innovation (46.3%), production and service processes (43.4%).
  • 67.8% use open-source AI software, 49.1% use closed-source, and 32.1% use their own in-house developed software.
  • Only 8.3% plan to use AI.
AI usage in businesses

Share of businesses using any AI technology

20212.7%
20257.5%
202614%

Source: TÜİK 2026.

The ranking of obstacles is notable too: lack of qualified staff (72.3%), legal uncertainty (66.4%), data security and privacy risks (65.4%), incompatibility with existing systems (65.2%) and cost (65%).

What does it mean for us?

Usage is over half among young people and still low from middle age upward. This means there is plenty of room both in content and training for these tools and in product development (interface language, Turkish support, trust). For businesses, the real bottleneck is not technology but knowledge and skills.

The report also has a limit: it doesn’t say which tools are used the most, only the overall use of generative AI.

Sources