Turkiye–UAE Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence: Leveraging Complementary Strengths for Strategic Influence in Central Asia

Artificial Intelligence and the Strategic Convergence Between Turkiye and the UAE

Artificial intelligence has rapidly moved from being a technological domain to becoming a core pillar of national power, economic competitiveness, and geopolitical influence. For middle powers such as Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates, AI represents not only an opportunity for growth but also a strategic necessity in an increasingly fragmented global order. Over the past few years, Ankara and Abu Dhabi have undergone a significant normalization and recalibration of their bilateral relations, moving toward pragmatic cooperation grounded in mutual interests rather than ideological alignment. Artificial intelligence has emerged as one of the most promising areas of this convergence. The UAE has positioned itself as a global leader in AI through early institutionalization, large-scale investment, advanced digital infrastructure, and flexible regulatory frameworks. Turkiye, meanwhile, possesses deep industrial capacity, a large and skilled workforce, strong universities, and expanding diplomatic and economic influence across Eurasia. Rather than duplicating efforts or competing for leadership, Turkiye and the UAE are increasingly well placed to pursue a complementary model of cooperation. In this model, artificial intelligence serves as both a tool of economic transformation and a mechanism for strengthening strategic autonomy, enabling both countries to reduce dependency on traditional Western technology ecosystems while shaping new regional innovation networks.

How Turkiye Can Benefit from the UAE’s Leadership in Artificial Intelligence

The UAE’s comparative advantage in artificial intelligence lies primarily in its ability to mobilize capital, infrastructure, and state coordination at scale. Since becoming the first country in the world to appoint a Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence in 2017, the UAE has embedded AI across government services, infrastructure planning, education, and economic strategy under the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031. Official projections indicate that artificial intelligence could contribute up to 14 percent of the UAE’s GDP by 2030, equivalent to roughly AED 335 billion in economic value. This ambition has been backed by substantial investment in high-performance computing, advanced data centers, sovereign AI funds, and research institutions such as the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence. For Turkiye, cooperation with the UAE offers a pragmatic and accelerated pathway to strengthen its own AI ecosystem without bearing the full financial and infrastructural burden alone. Access to advanced compute power, joint research programs, co-investment in AI startups, and shared innovation platforms could significantly enhance Turkiye’s capabilities in priority sectors such as manufacturing automation, smart logistics, energy optimization, defense technologies, and digital public administration. At the same time, Turkiye brings assets that the UAE lacks at scale: a large domestic market, strong engineering and industrial depth, diversified manufacturing, and an ecosystem capable of translating AI innovation into real-economy applications. Turkish firms are well positioned to operationalize AI solutions across production chains, transport networks, and public services. In this sense, AI cooperation is not a one-directional transfer of technology from the UAE to Turkiye, but a mutually reinforcing partnership in which UAE leadership in infrastructure and capital complements Turkiye’s capacity for implementation, scaling, and regional diffusion.

Central Asia as the Strategic Extension of Turkiye–UAE AI Cooperation

Beyond the bilateral relationship, Central Asia represents a natural and strategically significant extension of Turkiye–UAE cooperation in artificial intelligence. Countries such as Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan are actively pursuing digital transformation agendas and have begun adopting national AI strategies, regulatory reforms, and investment incentives to modernize their economies. Uzbekistan, for instance, has approved a national AI strategy through 2030, announced the creation of specialized AI research laboratories, introduced tax-free zones for technology and data center investments, and set ambitious targets to develop a multi-billion-dollar AI software and services sector. Turkmenistan, while more cautious in its digital opening, has initiated AI applications in education and energy management, including the use of advanced analytics in the oil and gas sector, where UAE-linked companies already operate. Azerbaijan has positioned itself as a regional innovation hub through technology summits, startup ecosystems, and trilateral cooperation frameworks with Turkiye and Central Asian partners. Turkiye’s influence in Central Asia — reinforced through bilateral relations, cultural and linguistic ties, and multilateral platforms such as the Organization of Turkic States — provides political access, legitimacy, and operational depth that few external actors can match. When combined with the UAE’s financial resources, AI infrastructure, and experience in large-scale digital deployment, this creates a powerful triangular cooperation model. Joint Turkiye–UAE initiatives in Central Asia could focus on AI-enabled energy systems, smart logistics corridors, digital government services, industrial modernization, and workforce upskilling. For Turkiye, such cooperation strengthens its role as a strategic bridge linking the Gulf, Central Asia, and Europe while expanding its technological footprint beyond its borders. For the UAE, it offers a pathway to extend its AI leadership into a geopolitically vital region without relying solely on bilateral engagement. For Central Asian states, it provides an alternative development model rooted in technology transfer, connectivity, and economic resilience rather than dependency.