Türkiye must act swiftly to keep pace in AI race: IEA head

PARIS

Türkiye cannot afford to fall behind in the global race for artificial intelligence, International Energy Agency (IEA) head Fatih Birol has said.

"Türkiye needs to take a serious big step in artificial intelligence without wasting too much time," Birol told daily Hürriyet in an interview published on Feb. 13.

His remarks came on the sidelines of a summit on AI in Paris, where experts discussed the future of the technology and its implications for global industries.

"We have a large population, and our economy is also large. Therefore, Türkiye cannot afford to fall behind in the artificial intelligence race."

Birol highlighted that while progress has been made in certain industrial sectors, further strengthening is required. He urged a collaborative effort between the government, industry, academia and civil society to develop a comprehensive AI strategy.

The summit in Paris saw discussions on the potential benefits and risks of AI, with experts raising concerns about the technology falling into the wrong hands.

"They think that artificial intelligence can also rapidly develop the world economy, production and the industrial sector, and that it can bring humanity to a new era," Birol said.

During his speech, Birol also underscored the importance of energy for AI, particularly the power required to operate large data centers.

"If there is no energy, there is no artificial intelligence," he remarked. "A medium-sized data center alone uses as much electricity as a city of 100,000 people."

As countries like the U.S. and China take the lead in AI, Birol noted that Europe and India are trailing. "Who will control artificial intelligence will also be a development that will leave its mark on the 21st century," he said.

Birol, a Turkish economist and energy expert, has served as the IEA's executive director since September 2015. He is also the chairman of the World Economic Forum's energy advisory council.