Yandex Launches "Yazeka," an AI-Powered Search Engine for Turkey

Russian tech giant Yandex has introduced "Yazeka," an AI-driven search engine tailored specifically for the Turkish market, offering transparent and reliable answers to complex queries, according to Yandex Türkiye CEO Alexander Popovskiy, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency

AI-Powered Search with a Local Focus
Designed for the Turkish language, Yazeka uses natural language processing to enable conversational searches, providing precise and contextually accurate results. For example, a query like "one-day itinerary in Amsterdam" yields localized suggestions curated by Turkish experts. The name Yazeka combines the Turkish term "Yapay Zeka" (Artificial Intelligence) with "Yandex."

Neutral and Transparent Results
Yazeka emphasizes neutrality and transparency by filtering harmful or illegal content while avoiding bias. Search results are ranked based on relevance and popularity, offering a multi-perspective approach that Popovskiy argues is more predictable than generative AI models like ChatGPT.

Investment and Expansion in Türkiye
Yandex plans to relocate its servers to Türkiye to enhance speed and data security, committing $20 million to the Turkish market in 2024 and an additional $400 million over three years. The funds will support Yazeka’s expansion, AI development, and partnerships with local businesses.

Future Growth
To grow its user base, Yandex plans to integrate Yazeka with other services like Yandex Maps and Navigation, add multimedia content, and collaborate with Turkish device manufacturers. Popovskiy expressed confidence in the platform’s potential to reshape Turkey’s search engine landscape, saying, “The demand for search engines is growing, and we are ready to meet users’ needs.”