- “Only 24 percent of enterprises in Türkiye use Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, and an even smaller share use Customer Relationship Management (CRM). SMEs that fail to digitalize face the risk of being ‘left out’ of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution.”
- “Türkiye accounts for 3 percent of global ChatGPT traffic, indicating strong individual-level digital engagement; however, firm-level digital infrastructure remains critically weak.”
- “Despite a young population, NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) rates and skills mismatches are rising. Without intervention, the AI transition will create a new wave of inequality.”
- “Only 56 percent of businesses in Türkiye have a website, and many SMEs lack even basic data collection infrastructure, which severely limits the country’s ability to benefit from AI-driven productivity gains.”
- “With roughly 30 percent of employment being informal, the impacts of AI and automation could be far more destructive for millions of workers who have no access to social protection systems.”
Now in its seventh year in collaboration with Sabancı University’s Istanbul Policy Center, the ActHuman Social Inclusion Initiative launched its 2025 report in November, titled “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work in Türkiye: Digital Transformation for Inclusive Growth”, authored by rapporteur Emrehan Aktuğ.
This year’s findings show that Türkiye is at a critical turning point in its digital transformation. While individual digital engagement is high, gaps in institutional infrastructure and the digitalization deficit among SMEs reveal that the AI revolution brings a serious risk of widening inequalities.
Vural Çakır, President of İNGEV, highlighted the risks posed by the AI revolution, stating: “It is now clear that the AI revolution, along with its many opportunities, is creating a severe inequality problem. Regulations are needed to ensure that productivity gains are applied in favor of workers. Otherwise, a deep human crisis may emerge, hidden beneath the enchantment of AI myths.”
Senem Aydın Düzgit, Director of IPC, offered the following assessment of the report: “The pace of digital transformation today redefines not only economic competitiveness but also social equality and democratic participation. This process can only become a true opportunity if it is governed in a fair, accessible, and inclusive way for all segments of society.”
The report shows that Türkiye faces three possible pathways: a scenario of deepening inequality without intervention; a digitally divided future; or an opportunity for inclusive growth made possible through SME digitalization and human capital reform.
As ActHuman, our aim is to support this transformation in line with social inclusion, fair competition, and shared prosperity. The report’s policy recommendations provide a concrete roadmap for guiding Türkiye’s digitalization process toward a more just and sustainable foundation.
Click here to read the report: https://ingev.org/reports/Digital-Transformation-for-Inclusive-Growth.pdf