In an era marked by polarization, anti-globalization, and backlash against diversity efforts, many wonder what the future of cultural intelligence looks like. I’m confident cultural intelligence (CQ) is more relevant and needed than ever. But if CQ is going to meet the challenges of the year ahead, it has to evolve. Our work in cultural intelligence started before 9/11. Think about how much the world has changed since then!

At its core, cultural intelligence is and always has been about people. It is about how we live, work, disagree, lead, and belong in a world defined by difference. The future of CQ rest on that foundation while evolving to address the complexities of AI, geo-politics, conspiracy theories, and more.

Here are five cultural intelligence trends that will shape CQ’s relevance this year. 

1. Institutionalizing CQ in Schools

When I give a talk on cultural intelligence, there’s one question I’m asked more than any other. “Who’s teaching CQ to our kids?” If cultural intelligence is essential to our individual and collective futures, it has to be embedded in childhood education and development.

The majority of schools across the world highlight “developing global citizens” as one of their driving values. For some, it’s even in their mission statement. Yet few have dedicated curriculum or measurements in place to do this. Some of our CQ Fellows and a number of educators around the world are striving to change that.

The future of CQ in schools includes:

• Working with child and adolescent professionals to create a scope and sequence for developing cultural intelligence in age-appropriate ways
• Equipping educators to teach and apply cultural intelligence in the classroom
• Developing students’ ability to discover and learn about the wonder of  how to relate and work with people with vastly different beliefs, values, and assumptions

If we wait until people enter the workforce to develop CQ, we’re too late.

2. Using AI to Improve How we Assess and Develop CQ

More than 350,000 individuals have taken the CQ assessment, a powerful way of providing individuals with personalized insights on the CQ strengths and opportunities.  Imagine using the power of the CQ assessment together with the power of AI to customize scenarios and feedback based on the individual participant. As AI becomes embedded in work and learning, it creates new opportunities to expand the ways we assess and develop CQ. I’m talking with academic and tech colleagues about innovative ways to use AI to do this.

The next phase of CQ needs to use AI to:

• Assess how people make decisions in ambiguous, high-stakes situations
• Provide feedback based on real-world scenarios that are relevant for the individual being assessed
• Support personalized CQ development at scale

The future of CQ is using the power of AI  to scale and personalize the assessment and development of cultural intelligence.

3. Restoring the parts of DEI that matter most

The past year forced a major course correction in DEI. Regardless of one’s political perspective on diversity initiatives, there’s wide agreement that we all need to figure out how to get along and build inclusive, fair, high performing teams. Whether you call it inclusion and belonging, culture transformation, or something else, cultural intelligence is the critical skill that predicts psychological safety, high performance, and making diversity a strength rather than a barrier.

The future of CQ includes:

• Helping leaders navigate workstyle differences without over-indexing on any one source of difference (e.g., nationality, generation, gender, race, etc.)
• Building environments where disagreement strengthens thinking rather than just focusing on the narrow slice where people agree
• Incorporating what DEI experts taught us about the importance of addressing systems and practices that prevent inclusion (e.g., hiring and promotion routines, vendor policies, marketing practices etc.)

Diversity is here to stay. Cultural intelligence provides a way forward to ensure everyone is included and to position organizations and teams to gain the benefits of diversity.

4. Relearning how to be a Global Citizen in the Trump Era

The return of a Trump administration combined with similar movements across the world have been a wakeup call to globalists and immigrants. Vivek Ramasamy went from being a leading Republican candidate for the US presidency who derided wokeness only to find himself receiving vitriolic racism from the MAGA base. We have to create space for protecting personal, local, and national interests without resorting to hate tropes and war. We’re a global economy and that’s here to stay. Business, government, and educational leaders are navigating a world where global interdependence remains unavoidable, even as nationalism is increasingly rewarded at home.

The future of CQ includes helping leaders:

• Develop shared norms to constructively acknowledge political and ideological differences without allowing them to become divisive or distracting.
• Empower people leaders to express care for the ways political and cultural realities impact the people they lead.
• Apply curiosity and perspective-taking to political opponents.

The future of cultural intelligence must equip leaders to operate effectively in a Trump-shaped world by helping them manage personal interests, nationalism, and global interdependence at the same time.

5. Reframing CQ in an AI-Driven Economy

With the imminence of ambient AI, I expect the ubiquity of AI to grow exponentially this year. We need to go beyond just reiterating the evidence behind AI’s culture biases and the role of CQ in setting one apart from AI. While those are accurate arguments, we need more sophisticated solutions that show the intersection between cultural intelligence and artificial intelligence. Gen Z might just be the best ones to lead us as evidenced by their “touch the grass” movements and their elevation of analog experiences.

The future of CQ will intersect with AI by:

• Teaching CQ to AI agents so their output reflects culturally intelligent direction, not just efficiency.
• Replacing linear approaches to teaching CQ (e.g., static online courses) with AI-enabled learning (e.g., individuals receive dynamic guidance in response to real-world dilemmas).
• Re-defining jobs based on what culturally intelligent humans can do better than AI (e.g., using AI for analysis and pattern recognition, using people for judgment, relationship-building, and trust).

As AI automates content, simulations, and even coaching, CQ is uniquely positioned as strategic sensemaking for leaders operating in ambiguity.

Realistically hopeful

Cultural Intelligence began with a simple question: What’s the difference between those who can successfully cross borders and those who can’t?

The question remains more relevant than ever but the borders we’re crossing have shifted. Nationality, gender, and race are increasingly less relevant than function, ideology, and socio-economic status. And while there’s still a place for developing  cultural intelligence through assessments, workshops, certifications, and myriad other traditional learning and development solutions, today’s world calls for more innovative, disruptive approaches.

I’m bullish on the prospects for a more culturally intelligent world in 2026. Call me idealistic, but I think divisive, hate-filled xenophobia is gasping for breath. Most of us really do believe we are better together. The challenges are steep, but the arc keeps bending toward justice. I’m committed to walking toward that together.