What happens when an entire university could be run by a single academic, supported almost entirely by AI? In this provocative installment of his University Design column, David Staley explores the emerging concept of the “soloversity”—a higher education institution operated by one human professor with a network of AI agents handling teaching support, administration, research, and student services.

Drawing parallels to Silicon Valley’s “solopreneurs” and cyber-physical enterprises, Staley asks whether higher education might soon witness entrepreneurial academics launching their own solo institutions. Could these soloversities become the next educational unicorns? And what does this possibility reveal about the future of academic work, institutional scale, and the very foundations of the university?

Listen in as Staley reads his essay aloud, bringing to life his vision of higher education’s possible futures.

📖 Read the full article here: The Soloversity by David J. Staley