Following the EU’s AI Act? An Analysis of the First Steps Towards Regulating AI

Turkey witnessed developments related to AI regulation in 2024, alongside the entry into force of the EU’s AI Act , which concerns the country both with its extraterritorial scope and the desired Brussels effect . Even though the first legislative proposal was submitted to the Turkish Parliament in June, it would be overly ambitious to assert that Turkey is actively (or at least publicly) regulating AI. The fact, however, remains that strategies for the growing AI ecosystem are being discussed, and early signs of adopting the AI Act’s approach are visible. This report aims to provide an analysis of the recent developments in AI regulation in Turkey and contribute to ongoing debates about evolving regulatory frameworks by offering ma insights from the Turkish context. It first proceeds with a brief overview of the national strategy for AI. Then, it describes the Turkish proposal compared to the AI Act and assesses its significant shortcomings. The last section presents the author’s conclusions.