AI Communities
Harnessing our diverse communities to accelerate AI impact responsibly.
The University of California’s AI Communities unite the talent and expertise across our ten campuses, six academic medical centers, and three national labs. These communities help seamlessly integrate UC’s Responsible AI Principles into the application of AI in our operations while fostering goals specific to their domains. Whether advancing AI learning and innovation on a campus, navigating AI’s evolving legal landscape, or collaborating on systemwide AI projects, our AI Communities drive ethical, effective, and impactful AI use across the UC.
Systemwide and Location AI Initiatives
Systemwide AI Initiatives bring together experts from all domains in the UC community to drive AI initiatives and contribute to the development of responsible AI practices.
Location AI Communities enhance local collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation among campus community members interested in AI. They promote interdisciplinary engagement through events, resources, and initiatives, and support the responsible application of AI across various fields. By fostering connections and providing a platform for continuous learning, these AI communities empower their members to contribute to the broader AI landscape.
AI Executive Steering Committee
The AI Steering Committee advances the University of California’s leadership in shaping the future of artificial intelligence through the unmatched scale, research breadth, and public mission of the UC system. Bringing together leaders from academia, healthcare, industry, and public service, the committee drives initiatives that transform national challenges into catalysts for innovation, economic growth, scientific discovery, workforce development, and public impact.
The committee’s work spans interdisciplinary solutions to society’s grand challenges; next-generation AI in health; AI-powered teaching and learning; workforce development at scale; trusted and ethical AI; strategic research and industry partnerships; advanced infrastructure and compute; and the transformation of UC into a model for the 21st-century public university. Together, these efforts position UC as the nation’s leading public ecosystem for responsible AI innovation and societal impact.
AI Executive Steering Committee Sponsors and Chairs:
- Executive Sponsor: President James B. Milliken
- Co-Chairs: Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, UC San Diego; Distinguished Professor Ahmet Palazoglu, UC Davis; and Vice President Van Williams, UC Office of the President
AI Executive Steering Committee Members
AI Steering Committee Charge
UC AI Council
UC AI Council
The UC AI Council was established at the recommendation of the Presidential Working Group on Artificial Intelligence, which released its final report in October 2021. The AI Council's primary goals and activities include:
- Integrating the UC Responsible AI Principles: The AI Council focuses its efforts on integration of the UC Responsible AI Principles into the university’s operations through training, outreach, and awareness. These principles emphasize transparency, fairness, accountability, privacy, and non-discrimination, among others, and aim to ensure ethical and effective AI usage across the university system.
- Promoting Ethical AI Use: The AI Council promotes the ethical use of AI by developing risk and impact assessment strategies for AI technologies. It aims to document AI tools that pose significant risks to individual rights, ensuring transparency and accountability in their deployment.
- Systemwide Coordination and Location and Domain-Specific Councils: To further the principles and guidance provided by the Presidential Working Group, the AI Council encourages and fosters the establishment of campus-level and domain-specific councils and coordinates systemwide efforts to maintain consistency.
UC AI Council current chairs:
Alex Bui, PhD, Co-chair. Director, Medical & Imaging Informatics Group Director, Medical Informatics Home Area Professor, Departments of Radiological Sciences, Bioengineering & Bioinformatics David Geffen Chair in Informatics.
Alexander Bustamante, Co-chair. Senior Vice President, Ethics, Compliance and Audit Services, University of California, Office of the President.
UC AI Council Membership Roster
UC Berkeley AI Community
The UC Berkeley AI Community is a community-driven approach to learning, spreading information and developing expertise in AI for the University.
UC Berkeley Provost's Advisory Council on AI
- Significant institutional investments in AI infrastructure or applications.
- Adoption of AI-related institution-wide policy.
- Institutional deployment of either new AI tools or new AI capabilities that are introduced into current technology platforms or services.
Website: UC Berkeley | Council on Artificial Intelligence (PAC-AI)
UC Health AI Governance Forum
UC Health
Connecting local campus AI experts and stakeholders systemwide
UC Health, through the Center for Data-driven Insights and Innovation (CDI2), convenes a systemwide Health AI Governance Forum. This forum provides opportunity for stakeholders across health locations to share expertise, resources, and concerns related to safe and responsible AI development and deployment. The Forum meets monthly and has representatives from each UC health campus. The group collaborates with the UC AI Council in development of guidance materials that are health focused.
For more information, contact Cora Han.
UC Law San Francisco
- LexLab - website: LexLab UC LAW SF
Mission: To prepare students to be technology lawyers who provide outstanding counsel to clients navigating rapid technological evolution, contribute thoughtfully to global technology regulation efforts, and lead the legal profession through the ethical and forward-thinking adoption of new technologies.
- AI Law & Innovation Institute - website: UC LAW SF Center for Innovation | AI Law Innovation Institute
The AI Law & Innovation Institute (AI Institute) is a think tank at the University of California Law SF’s Center for Innovation (C4i). The AI Institute operates by looking ahead to the issues policy makers will face, engaging in the academic research to analyze those issues, and creating a stable of policy options to provide the federal and state legislators and regulators who reach out to us each year for technical advice.
UC Legal AI Task Force
UC Legal AI Task Force
The UC Legal AI Task Force focuses on the legal implications of using AI at UC. The Task Force provides legal guidance and support to UC units on a range of issues, including data privacy, intellectual property, discrimination, and liability.
Members of the UC Legal AI Task Force serve on the UC AI Council as experts in a variety of practice areas.
The UC Legal AI Task Force provides legal advice and guidance to the UC community from a variety of practices areas including:
Discrimination and Bias
Contracts
Privacy
Data Security
Due Process
Intellectual Property -- Copyright, Trademark, and Patents
Finance and Investments
Criminal
Ethics and Professional Responsibility
Research
Learn more and access legal resources here.
UC Merced AI Advisory Council
The AI Advisory Council is intended to guide and support UC Merced’s evaluation and integration of artificial intelligence technologies across the institution. Co-led by academic senate and administration appointees, the council convenes workgroups in the areas of teaching and learning, research, and administrative services.
UC San Diego AI Development Workgroup
Website: UC San Diego AI Development Workgroup
UC Santa Barbara AI Community of Practice
The UCSB AI Community of Practice (CoP) is dedicated to exploring and advancing AI in ways that are ethical, equitable, and aligned with our campus mission and values. By fostering collaboration and sharing of resources, the CoP equips the community to navigate AI’s complexities.
UC Santa Cruz AI Council
The AI Council serves as a collaborative advisory and coordination body that brings together representatives from across the university to evaluate, guide, and support the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence technologies. The council provides input on AI-related opportunities, risks, governance considerations, policy development, education, research, teaching, administrative use cases, and campus-wide AI initiatives. The council also serves as a forum for information sharing, stakeholder engagement, and coordination across academic and administrative units. The campus is currently evaluating future AI governance structures in partnership with the Academic Senate, and this information reflects the current governance model.
Campus AI Website: UC Santa Cruz AI Resources and Information Hub
Council Information: UC Santa Cruz AI Council Information
UCLA AI Governance Committee
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Committee steers UCLA’s campus-wide strategy for responsible, ethical, and innovative AI use, serving as a central hub and adapting to emerging technologies, opportunities, and risks. The AI Committee references and builds on the work of the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) AI Working Group recommendations.
UCLA AI Governance Committee
Presidential Working Group on Artificial Intelligence
UC Responsible AI Principles
Harnessing AI responsibly — with integrity, fairness, and a commitment to the public good.