Manizales is not only about coffee landscapes and cool weather. A new project is trying to turn the city into a serious AI training hub, with programs that go from technical skills to a Ph.D., all inside Universidad de Caldas.
MinTIC said Colombia’s first Faculty of Artificial Intelligence and Engineering is moving forward, and the goal is ambitious: Train thousands of people fast, then connect them to a national network of similar faculties.
A first-of-its-kind AI faculty
During a regional agenda in Manizales, ICT Minister Carina Murcia visited Universidad de Caldas to review progress on the faculty. MinTIC described it as the first AI faculty initiative of its kind in Colombia.
The government framed it as a way to close the technology gap and support Colombia’s digital transformation. The idea is to grow local talent, so AI is not only imported but also built and improved inside the country.
MinTIC also linked the project to other planned faculties in Zipaquira and Usme. The bigger goal is a national network where training, labs, and research can connect instead of working in isolated silos.
This matters for regions outside Bogota. When high-level programs exist in cities such as Manizales, students do not have to move far away to access modern tech education, and local companies can hire closer to home.
The programs, from hands-on to research
The academic offer covers a full ladder. MinTIC listed a Professional Technical Certificate (focused on job-ready skills) in data cleansing and preprocessing for AI, a technologist degree (a longer applied program in the “technological” level of undergraduate education) in information systems for AI, and a Bachelor’s in AI Engineering as the core formal degrees.
For people who want to specialize, the plan also includes a specialization in data science and AI, a master’s in AI, and a Ph.D. in AI. That full path is important for building teachers and researchers, not only entry-level workers.
MinTIC said six programs were created, and three already received qualified registration from the Ministry of Education. Two programs were already operating, and a third was in enrollment to start in the first semester of 2026.
A small but meaningful number already showed momentum. MinTIC reported 155 students were enrolled as pioneers in the first program, which signals early demand even before the full faculty reaches its intended scale.
Money, scale, and the 5,000-person target
Big projects need big budgets. MinTIC said the joint investment with Universidad de Caldas exceeds US$14.2 million.
The target is also big, more than 5,000 people trained in the first two years. MinTIC said that training would include both formal and nonformal education, mixing degree students with shorter learning routes.
The training themes go beyond “just coding.” MinTIC listed AI, analytics, networks, cybersecurity, intelligent robotics, and IoT, which matches what companies actually need: People who can build systems and keep them secure.
If the faculty hits its numbers, it could change local hiring quickly. A larger talent pool tends to lower entry barriers for companies, and it can also push wages up for skilled roles, which helps keep talent in Colombia.
How it connects to wider digital training
MinTIC positioned the faculty as part of a broader pipeline. The ministry mentioned TalentoTech, which it said trained more than 10,000 people, helping build a community ready for new tech skills and AI.
That kind of pipeline matters because AI education is not one-size-fits-all. Some people need quick upskilling for work, while others need long programs for research, teaching, or building new AI products from scratch.
A regional hub such as the Caldas department can also pull in students from the coffee region and nearby departments. Over time, that can encourage more startups, more applied research, and more tech services built outside the usual capitals.
The big test will be execution, teachers, infrastructure, and real links to jobs. Training many people fast only works if graduates can apply skills in real projects, internships, and research groups, not only in classrooms.
Manizales’ AI bet gets real
The faculty project in Caldas is a concrete step toward producing AI talent in Colombia, not only consuming it. With programs up to a Ph.D. and a 5,000-person target, it is aiming for scale from day one.
If this model works, it could become a blueprint for other regions, a mix of public investment, university capacity, and practical skills that lets more Colombians build the next wave of tech, from the coffee region outward.