Türkiye’s Vision for Artificial Intelligence in Education: A Document Analysis

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly reshaping the structure and pedagogy of contemporary education systems. This study examines Türkiye’s strategic vision and institutional orientations toward AI in education by analyzing official policy documents and mapping their theoretical foundations within a structured conceptual framework. This study employed a qualitative document analysis design, examining 14 policy documents, strategic plans, ethical guidelines, and curriculum documents published by the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye, the Ministry of National Education, the Council of Higher Education, and TÜBİTAK between 2021 and 2029. The data were analyzed using thematic content analysis, and the documents were thematically coded using NVivo. The findings indicate that official education policy documents frame AI as a multidimensional paradigm shaped by institutional priorities. AI integration is presented as a predominantly top-down process, with official documents emphasizing advanced engineering applications for secondary education and gifted students, while AI applications for preschool and primary education receive comparatively less attention. AI is portrayed as a tool that supports instructional design while reducing teachers’ administrative and academic workload. At the same time, the ‘human-in-the-loop’ principle is identified as a core safeguard within the national policy framework. The analysis also reveals a restrictive approach to the use of AI in academic assessment. Based on these findings, the study proposes several policy recommendations. These include integrating age-appropriate AI activities into primary education curricula, establishing standardized data anonymization principles to protect student information, and redesigning pre-service and in-service teacher education through practice-oriented professional development aligned with teachers’ evolving roles.