TRAI AI Summit brings together 420 organizations and over 2,000 participants

According to TRAI’s post-event release, the ninth Türkiye Artificial Intelligence Summit brought together 420 organizations and more than 2,000 participants. Organized under the theme “Agents Among Us,” the summit gathered business representatives, technology leaders, academics and entrepreneurs. The 2026 findings of the Türkiye Artificial Intelligence Economic Impact Report and the TRAI Artificial Intelligence Survey were presented publicly for the first time at the event.

The Türkiye Artificial Intelligence Initiative (TRAI) has organized the summit since 2018. This year’s in-person event took place on 11 November 2026 at Wyndham Grand Istanbul Levent, examining the effects of AI agents on business and their applications across different industries.

The programme ran across three stages: Vision, Impact and Innovation. The Vision Stage addressed global developments and strategic approaches, the Impact Stage focused on industry applications, and the Innovation Stage concentrated on startups and new solutions.

AI agents mark a new phase for business

The summit opened with TRAI founder Halil Aksu’s presentation, “Agents Among Us. Where Are You?” Aksu described AI agents as a new phase in the development of technology. His remarks, translated from the Turkish release, were:

“We have entered a new era in artificial intelligence. Alongside systems that answer our questions, we now work with agents that plan, use tools and undertake tasks. When we say ‘Agents Among Us,’ we are describing this change taking place in organizations. Agents prepare reports, take part in production planning and respond to customer requests. We now need to extend these applications throughout organizations and measure the value they create. To succeed in this transformation, organizations need a clear strategy, reliable data and employee participation. Management support and the ability of organizational culture to adapt to change are also decisive. Turning Türkiye’s AI potential into economic value depends on the steps we take in these areas. In the period ahead, the organizations that embed AI in business processes and produce tangible benefits will make the difference in value creation.”

Two studies examine adoption and economic potential

Aksu shared the findings of two studies for the first time at the summit. The Türkiye Artificial Intelligence Economic Impact Report considered AI’s potential effects on the Turkish economy and the steps needed to translate that potential into economic growth. The TRAI Artificial Intelligence Survey 2026, involving more than 350 organizations, examined organizations’ AI strategies, use cases and levels of implementation.

Strategy and economic value on the Vision Stage

Burak Aydın, President of Zorlu Holding’s Technology, Defence and Digital Business Development Group, assessed organizations’ cultural readiness for AI transformation. Prof. Dr. George Westerman, Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, discussed ways of creating economic value with AI. Dr. Sunghyun Park, co-founder and CEO of Rebellions, focused on the development of AI infrastructure.

Other discussions on the stage addressed enterprise AI infrastructure, secure cloud technologies and the effects of AI agents on marketing.

Applications across banking, manufacturing, healthcare and startups

The Impact Stage covered AI agents in banking, manufacturing productivity, customer experience and enterprise transformation. Dr. Mustafa Tacettin, CDO of Brisa Bridgestone Sabancı, and Hülya Yakışır, Global IT Leader at Oyak–Akdeniz Chemson, assessed AI maturity in manufacturing. Representatives of the financial sector also shared their experience of banking applications.

The Innovation Stage addressed entrepreneurship, healthcare, the defence industry and AI security. Prof. Dr. Atilla Dikbaş, CEO of İTÜ ARI Teknokent, discussed the transformation of the R&D and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Other sessions covered AI in medicine and haematology, defence-industry applications, automation in legal processes and approaches to safe use.

Alongside the stage programmes, AI solutions were exhibited in the foyer. Technology companies, startups, investors and professionals from different industries came together to exchange information and explore opportunities for new collaborations.

A free online programme on the second day

The summit continued online, free of charge, on 12 November. International speakers, TRAI Academy and experts from technology companies met participants on the second day. The programme included sessions and hands-on training on generative AI tools, AI agents and software development.

Attendance and research scope are different measures

The 420 organizations and more than 2,000 participants refer to the summit’s attendance. The more than 350 organizations cited for the 2026 survey are a separate measure of the research’s scope. The release outlines the areas examined by the economic impact report but does not provide a specific monetary estimate or percentage findings from the survey. Event attendance should therefore not be read as a national AI-adoption rate.

About TRAI

The Türkiye Artificial Intelligence Initiative was founded in 2017 to increase AI awareness and strengthen the ecosystem in Türkiye. It works to increase AI’s contribution to the Turkish economy, support the local ecosystem’s global competitiveness and build strong, sustainable collaboration among stakeholders. Through its ecosystem, services and events, it follows a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder approach aimed at realizing Türkiye’s AI potential.

Source: TRAI’s November 2026 post-event press release. Türkiye Artificial Intelligence Summit · TRAI

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