Overview
- The requirement applies to freshmen entering in fall 2026 at Purdue’s West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses and will be integrated into existing degree programs without adding credits, according to the university.
- Purdue defines the skills as understanding AI’s capabilities and limits, recognizing and communicating when and how AI is used, and adapting as systems evolve.
- Provost Patrick Wolfe has directed each academic college to create a standing industry advisory board to help shape discipline-specific criteria and to refresh requirements annually.
- Faculty feedback reported by The Register notes support for AI literacy but worries about vague implementation details and the potential for a box‑checking hurdle, echoing an Inside Higher Ed column’s skepticism about feasibility and industry influence.
- The initiative sits within the AI@Purdue strategy and existing tech partnerships, including a Microsoft Copilot with Data Protection deployment and research efforts spanning agriculture, hypersonics, cybersecurity, microelectronics and semiconductors.