Leveraging technology to break the iron triangle of access, cost, and quality is a legacy of open universities (OUs), becoming a source of inspiration for higher education in general. Today, OUs face increasing competition from conventional universities, no longer enjoying the first-mover advantages as they did in the earlier years. Can artificial intelligence (AI) enable OUs to stay competitive in the 21st century as other technologies did in the past? This paper first reviews literature on the affordances or (potential) uses of AI for open and distance education and then examines the implications of these affordances for OUs in terms of quality, cost, and access. It concludes by arguing for a systems approach to exploring how OUs can remain open as to people and places as well as to methods and ideas by making creative and innovative uses of AI.