Adaptation of the AI-Related Conspiracy Beliefs Scale for Use in Turkey

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed daily life while also fostering conspiratorial thinking. AI-related conspiracy beliefs—framing AI as an instrument of authoritarian control or an autonomous threat to humanity—have attracted scholarly attention but remain insufficiently examined, particularly in non-WEIRD contexts. To address this gap, the present study adapted the AI-Related Conspiracy Beliefs Scale for the Turkish context and examined its psychometric properties in a community sample (N = 445). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a unidimensional structure consistent with the original scale. The Turkish version demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = .91), strong item-total correlations, and high item discrimination. Criterion validity was supported through significant associations with AI anxiety, perceived threat, attitudes toward AI, and trust in science and scientists. These findings affirm the scale’s reliability and validity and underscore the importance of culturally grounded tools for capturing public beliefs about emerging technologies in non-Western settings.