After two years of research, activities, international cooperation and learning, the AI4YE – Artificial Intelligence for Young Entrepreneurship project is reaching its final stage.
As the Turkish partner, Aydın Cultural Development Association (AKGD) has been involved in AI4YE from its first steps. During this journey, we worked with young people, entrepreneurs, students, teachers, companies, public institutions and other organisations. We carried out field research, organised workshops and meetings, visited companies and innovation centres, participated in international activities and helped develop practical resources about artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship.
What started as a project about AI and young entrepreneurship gradually became a much wider learning journey covering AI ethics, regulations, education, future professions, drones, sustainability and the possible opportunities and risks of emerging technologies.
Starting with Young Entrepreneurs: Our Field Research
One of our first major activities was the AI4YE Field Research.
AKGD contributed to the preparation of the research questionnaire and carried out the Turkish field research involving more than 20 young entrepreneurs, using online surveys, face-to-face interviews, discussions and field visits. As part of the research, 20 young entrepreneurs participated in the survey.
We wanted to understand how young entrepreneurs see artificial intelligence, how they are already using it, what opportunities they see for their businesses and what difficulties they experience.
The results were analysed and visualised and contributed to the wider AI4YE Field Research, bringing together findings and good practices from Türkiye, Spain and Italy.
We also prepared the Field Research template in APA format to ensure that the research findings, data and analysis were presented in a clear and structured way.
But we did not want our research to remain only inside a report. We continued sharing its findings through presentations, meetings, our website, social media and dissemination activities. We also presented the research and its possible impact to around 20 vocational education teachers, administrators and technical staff.
Meeting Young People and Bringing AI into Education
Young people remained at the centre of our activities throughout AI4YE. From the Field Research at the beginning of the project to the final Multiplier Event, we organised a series of activities to involve young people, educators, entrepreneurs and local stakeholders.
At the beginning of the project, as part of our Field Research in Türkiye, 20 young entrepreneurs participated in the survey, while the wider field research process reached more than 20 young entrepreneurs through surveys, face-to-face interviews, discussions and field visits. This helped us better understand how young entrepreneurs were using AI, the challenges they experienced and the opportunities they saw for the future.
Following the Field Research, we started organising online information meetings and discussions with young people, introducing AI4YE, its objectives and the relationship between artificial intelligence and young entrepreneurship.
On 26 March 2026, we presented the results of our Field Research to approximately 20 vocational high school teachers, administrators and technicians. We shared the main findings and discussed the rapid development of AI and its possible effects on young people, education and future careers. The activity ended with a Q&A session.
We also carried out a series of official visits and stakeholder meetings with vocational high school principals, policymakers and association directors. Through these visits, we discussed the objectives, activities and results of AI4YE with approximately 15 administrators and representatives and explored how the project could reach more young people.
Our activities then continued with direct meetings with larger groups of young people, including activities reaching around 30 university students and around 40 university preparatory students. These meetings gave us the opportunity to introduce the project, discuss AI and entrepreneurship and exchange ideas directly with young people.
In June 2026, we brought AI4YE into local schools and reached around 90 students. During these activities, students learned about artificial intelligence, how it is already used in everyday life, how young people use AI tools and how these technologies may affect future professions and create new opportunities.
On 10 June 2026, we organised the AI4YE Artificial Intelligence and Young Entrepreneurship Workshop at the Efeler Digital Youth Center in Aydın. More than 30 young people participated in the workshop, exploring AI, entrepreneurship, digital tools and possible future applications of these technologies.
Finally, on 26 June 2026, we organised the AI4YE Multiplier Event and Final Dissemination Meeting in Aydın, bringing together 23 participants. During the event, we presented and shared the main results and outputs of the project, including the Field Research, Practical Guidance and our work on AI ethics, regulations and responsible use of artificial intelligence. The event also gave participants an opportunity to discuss the project results, exchange ideas and reflect on the future of AI and young entrepreneurship.
Learning from Real Businesses and Organisations
An important part of AI4YE was connecting our research and discussions with the real world and creating direct links with entrepreneurs, companies, innovation organisations and other stakeholders.
In Türkiye, we carried out company and field visits, including visits to OKT Trailer and the UNT Laser Cutting & UV Printing Studio. These visits helped us observe entrepreneurship, production, innovation and the use of digital technologies directly in working environments.
The transnational project meeting in İzmir also created an important opportunity to strengthen these connections. During the meeting, we visited and established contact with companies, innovation and entrepreneurship centres, incubation environments and other relevant organisations and institutions. These visits allowed us to see different examples of entrepreneurship and innovation, exchange experiences with people working in the field and introduce AI4YE to organisations outside the direct project partnership.
We also visited schools, public institutions and other organisations during the project and presented AI4YE, helping us build connections with different actors working in education, entrepreneurship, youth, innovation and local development.
These connections continued during the AI4YE Multiplier Event and Final Dissemination Meeting. The event brought together people with different levels of entrepreneurial experience, including young people interested in entrepreneurship, new entrepreneurs and more experienced entrepreneurs. This created an opportunity not only to present the project results, but also for participants with different backgrounds and experiences to meet, exchange ideas and learn from each other.
Through these activities, AI4YE went beyond research and written outputs and created opportunities for direct contact, practical learning, networking and exchange between young people, entrepreneurs, companies and organisations.
An International Journey Across Three Countries
AI4YE was built on cooperation between organisations from Spain, Italy and Türkiye.
During the project, we participated in transnational activities, regular online meetings and international exchanges where partners shared their experiences and worked together on the development of the project.
The first face-to-face transnational meeting was held in Reggio Calabria, Italy, on 26–28 March 2025. All three partner organisations came together to discuss project management, responsibilities, Field Research planning, dissemination, evaluation and the next stages of the project. The meeting also gave the partners their first opportunity to work together in person and establish the project roadmap.
The second transnational meeting was hosted by AKGD in İzmir on 10–12 November 2025. During the meeting, partners reviewed the Field Research and Practical Guidance, discussed dissemination and future project activities, and visited local entrepreneurship and innovation organisations.
The international journey continued with the third transnational meeting in Fuerteventura, Spain, on 2–4 March 2026. Partners continued working on the project results and explored different examples related to AI, innovation, education and entrepreneurship.
These three international meetings allowed us to follow the project together at different stages, compare approaches in Italy, Türkiye and Spain, exchange experiences and learn from different organisations, working cultures and local environments.
Our Main Project Results
One of the most important achievements of AI4YE was transforming the experience and information collected during the project into resources that can continue to be used by others.
Field Research Report
The Field Research Report brought together research, experiences and good practices related to AI and young entrepreneurship from the partner countries. It helped us understand the current situation, needs and experiences of young entrepreneurs and provided the basis for the other project outputs.
Practical Guidance on AI for Youth Entrepreneurship
The Practical Guidance on AI for Youth Entrepreneurship was developed as an accessible and practical resource for young people and entrepreneurs.
It includes AI tools, ideas, examples and possible applications across many areas, including business, education, health, tourism, environment, media, art, law and science. It also provides information about developing business ideas with AI, possible challenges and support opportunities.
Ethical Dilemmas, Regulations and Social Impact of Artificial Intelligence
As our work continued, it became clear that talking about the opportunities of AI was not enough. We also needed to discuss its responsibilities and possible risks.
For this reason, another major project output was “Ethical Dilemmas, Regulations and Social Impact of Artificial Intelligence.”
Through this work, we explored issues such as privacy, fairness, transparency, human rights, responsibility, regulation and the wider social impact of AI.
Partners also prepared supporting national resources, including ethical guidance, national drone rules and information related to the responsible use of AI and emerging technologies.
The project therefore developed from a discussion about AI and entrepreneurship into a wider exploration of AI ethics, the future of AI, drones, sustainability, education, regulation and responsible innovation.
Sharing the Results
Dissemination was not treated as something to be done only at the end of the project. Throughout AI4YE, we continuously shared our activities, research findings, project results and developments related to artificial intelligence.
AKGD used its website, social media channels, the AI4YE project platforms, presentations, meetings and local media to reach different audiences. We prepared news articles, videos, visuals, presentations, leaflets, booklets and other dissemination materials.
Our activities and results were also covered by local online media, helping the project reach audiences beyond our direct participants.
Alongside project activities, we regularly shared information on subjects connected with AI, including AI ethics, drone regulations, AI in education, business applications, good practices and new developments in artificial intelligence.
In this way, dissemination became part of the whole project journey rather than only a final activity.
AI4YE Multiplier Event and Final Dissemination Meeting
On 26 June 2026, AKGD organised the AI4YE Multiplier Event and Final Dissemination Meeting in Aydın, bringing together 23 external participants.
During the event, we presented and shared the main results developed during the project, including the Field Research Report, Practical Guidance on AI for Youth Entrepreneurship, and the work on AI ethics, regulations and social impact.
Participants had the opportunity to learn about the research, discuss the practical use of AI and explore questions related to entrepreneurship, ethics, regulation and the future of artificial intelligence.
The event was also an important opportunity to bring together the different parts of the project and share what had been learned during two years of work.
What Did We Learn?
AI4YE was not only about producing reports or organising activities.
During the project, we met young entrepreneurs with new ideas, students thinking about their future, educators trying to understand new technologies, companies already using digital solutions and organisations working with young people in very different environments.
We also saw how quickly artificial intelligence itself changed during the lifetime of the project. New tools, new opportunities and new questions continued to appear.
This meant that our learning also continued to develop. We started by asking how AI could help young entrepreneurs. Along the way, we also found ourselves discussing questions such as how AI should be used responsibly, how it may affect future jobs and education, what environmental impact it may have, how drones and AI can work together and what risks society needs to consider.
AI4YE Comes to Its Final Stage, but the Learning Continues
After two years, the formal project period is coming to an end, but the knowledge and resources created through AI4YE will remain available.
The project outputs can continue to be used by young people, entrepreneurs, educators, youth workers, organisations and anyone interested in understanding and using artificial intelligence in a practical and responsible way.
For AKGD, AI4YE has been a project full of research, activities, international experiences, new ideas, challenges and, most importantly, learning.
We would like to thank all the young people, entrepreneurs, students, teachers, administrators, companies, institutions, volunteers and project partners who participated in the activities, shared their experiences and contributed to this journey.
AI4YE is reaching its final stage, but our work and learning around artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and the future will continue.
Project Information
Project Title: AI4YE – Artificial Intelligence for Young Entrepreneurship
Project Reference: 2024-1-ES02-KA210-YOU-000254109
Programme: Erasmus+ KA210-YOU – Small-scale Partnerships in Youth
Project Period: 2024–2026
Countries: Spain, Italy and Türkiye
Coordinator – Spain
Asociación para la Cooperación al Desarrollo e Inclusión Social Amanay
Canary Islands, Spain
Partner – Italy
EUROFORMAZ
Reggio Calabria, Italy
Partner – Türkiye
Aydın Cultural Development Association (AKGD)
Aydın, Türkiye
Project Website: ai4ye.online
AI Transparency Note: This article was prepared by the AKGD project team with the support of ChatGPT (OpenAI)for text organisation and language editing. The final content was reviewed and approved by the project team.
