Turkiye: Competition Authority launched a sector inquiry into AI ecosystem

On 7 April 2026, the Competition Authority launched a sector inquiry into the AI ecosystem to evaluate the effects of AI developments on markets and identify emerging competitive risks. The inquiry focuses on the AI value chain, which spans infrastructure, model building, and applications. It will examine access conditions to critical inputs, including data, computing capacity, technical expertise, and funding, as well as relationships between the different layers of the value chain, interactions between large technology undertakings and innovators, and the effects of data and computing power on competition. The inquiry will assess risks arising from early-mover advantages, including heightened barriers to entry, user lock-in to certain ecosystems, and competitors facing difficulties in accessing essential inputs. It will also examine the integration of AI technologies into the existing products and services of large digital platforms, including conduct such as self-preferencing, exclusion, tying, access restrictions, and increasing switching costs. Additionally, the inquiry will consider merger and acquisition transactions in the AI field, including assessments of data advantages, complementarity, potential competition, and protecting innovation. The findings are intended to guide policy-making processes and intervention tools for maintaining the competitive structure.