Yandex launches AI tailored service for Turkish users

ISTANBUL

Yandex has launched an artificial intelligence (AI)-integrated search service developed for Turkish users.

Designed specifically for the Turkish language structure, the service, called Yazeka with Yandex Search, aims to differentiate itself from its competitors by offering a multi-source and transparent search experience, allowing users to directly see the sources of search results.

At the launch of the service, Yandex Search Türkiye CEO Alexander Popovskiy said Yazeka represents a transformation for Yandex, turning it from a traditional search engine into what he called a “finding engine.”

Emphasizing that Yandex attaches great importance to data security, Popovskiy said: “We will gradually move our servers to Türkiye to provide faster access to our users. This will both increase access speed and provide an infrastructure for service development.”

Popovskiy noted that Yandex's return to Türkiye is not only due to the growing interest in artificial intelligence and search engines but also the country's growing market potential and legal regulations that make this potential more attractive.

Noting that Yandex's return to the Turkish market is not limited to a new search engine technology, Popovskiy said the company wants to increase its investments in Türkiye and announced that they invested $20 million in 2024 and plans to invest $400 million in Türkiye in the next three years.

Popovskiy said this investment covers many areas, such as the development of artificial intelligence technology, the expansion of Yandex Search and Yazeka in Türkiye, the relocation of servers and data centers to Türkiye, advertising campaigns and local partnership projects.