Artificial intelligence is reshaping every industry, profession, and aspect of human life. Yet the fundamental architecture of higher education has not changed in hundreds of years, and universities around the world are only beginning to explore what AI means for how we learn and what we teach.
AIQ University is a bold attempt to reinvent higher education from the ground up — not by layering AI tools on top of an existing system, but by rebuilding the entire model around one central idea: that the professionals of tomorrow must master both their discipline and the AI tools that define it.
The AIQ (Artificial Intelligence Quotient) is a measure of a person's ability to understand, work with, and stay ahead of the rapidly shifting frontier of AI's capabilities. While it is a skill that is not really taught today, it is the critical skill that determines professional success in the era ahead.
At AIQ University, every student graduates with two credentials: a rigorous degree in their chosen discipline — law, medicine, engineering, physics, or any other field — and a demonstrably high AIQ. AIQ is a required part of their education. The best lawyer of the future understands the law and works with AI better than anyone else. The same is true for doctors, engineers, scientists, and leaders in every field.
Unlike a traditional degree, an AIQ University degree has an expiration date. The AI frontier shifts at astonishing speed and in capricious ways, so a high AIQ today may not reflect the reality of AI in the future. Every AIQ alum is expected to return on a regular basis to recalibrate their AIQ against the current frontier.
At AIQ University, the traditional academic fields remain, but every discipline is taught with two key changes. First, every student completes a mandatory foundation in working with AI and developing their AIQ. Second, every course is redesigned to prioritize understanding over memorization. A medical student does not need to know the name of every muscle by heart. They need to understand how the muscular system works, and how to collaborate with a medical AI agent to better serve their future patients.
In an era where everything is moving online, AIQ University is making a deliberate and bold move in the opposite direction. All teaching is hands-on and learning focuses on in-person experiences. As AI takes over more cognitive and knowledge tasks, the skills that AI cannot replicate matter most. The required curriculum contains in-person communication, human judgment, leadership, and the ability to collaborate across disciplines and cultures.
AIQ University is designed to be global. The vision is a network of campuses worldwide, close enough that every student is within reasonable travel distance of a physical location where they can learn, collaborate, and grow.
Every great journey starts somewhere. Mine starts in Sint-Truiden, Belgium — my home town, a city with a long and proud history of education and beautiful heritage school buildings waiting for a new purpose. The invitation is open to anyone, anywhere, who wants to join this movement and start their own program locally.
I know some people think this is the most naive, impractical, or simply dumbest idea they have ever encountered. I welcome all reactions. There are probably a hundred reasons why this university should not, or cannot, exist. Accreditation for sure is one. I want to hear every single one. Because our plan is simple: tackle each objection one by one — rigorously, openly, and yes, with the help of AI. As we address them, AIQ University becomes a reality.
To give this idea proper structure and accountability, I am forming a Board of Founding Governors constituting of 11 members who provide the governance, challenge, and guidance to turn this vision into an institution. I am one of them. The other 10 seats are open.
Reach out. Comment. Apply. Push back. Let's build something for the next generation the world has never seen.
This article was conceived and written with the assistance of ChatGPT and Claude.