Tools and Resources

UC AI Council AI Essentials Webinar Series - Innovation and Best Practices in AI, Video Recordings, March 26 - May 29, 2025

Meet UC domain experts and hear key considerations for implementing AI solutions across administrative disciplines, from protecting data to third-party vendor relationships. The four-part webinar series, hosted by the UC AI Council, provides UC faculty and staff operations and administration communities with the information and systemwide network necessary for responsible and effective AI implementation.

(1) AI & Third-Party Risk: Best Practices for Evaluating and Procuring AI Solutions [Video Recording; UC credentials required]

Wednesday, March 26, 2025, 12-1 p.m.
Panelists: Lisa Ho, Bethanie Brown, Sajjad Matin, and Gigi Capuyan

As AI adoption accelerates, UC must carefully manage third-party risks when evaluating and purchasing AI-powered solutions. This webinar provides a roadmap for assessing AI tools, ensuring privacy, security, and compliance while mitigating risks. Our panel will guide attendees through key stages of AI acquisition, from pre-adoption considerations and vendor assessments to procurement strategies and risk advisories, equipping decision-makers with best practices for informed AI purchasing. This video is available to UC audiences only.

(2) AI in Action: UC AI Innovation Virtual Share Fair

Introduction [Video Recording]

Access Aid Use Case [Video Recording]

PolicyWonk Use Case [Video Recording]

Pose AI Use Case [Video Recording]

Wednesday, April 9, 2025,12-1 p.m.
Panelists: Jennifer Lofthus, Diana Cox, Adam Getchell, Stefan Tomic, Anna Ahearn, and Krithik Udayashankar
Moderator: Hillary Kalay

See groundbreaking AI implementations transforming workplace safety, policy navigation, and administrative efficiency across the UC system. This interactive session features real-world AI use cases, with presenters sharing their journey from ideation to implementation, highlighting key challenges, lessons learned, and alignment with UC’s AI Principles. Whether you’re exploring AI for your own initiatives or looking to connect with peers, this recording offers insights, collaboration, and inspiration to drive innovation.

(3) Generative AI and the Art of the Possible: Upskilling for the Future [Video Recording]

Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 12-1 p.m.
Panelists: Tina Austin, Kristina Markman, Sesh Murthy, Tamara Tate, and Erin Van Dusen
Moderator: Rolin Moe

As AI reshapes education, faculty must move beyond the hype to understand its real-world impact in the classroom. This webinar explores AI’s promise and challenges, offering practical strategies for integrating AI effectively. Educators will gain insights from real-world case studies, learning best practices and actionable takeaways to launch AI-driven classroom initiatives, from training custom models to leveraging existing tools.

(4) Safe Handling of UC Data in Generative AI Applications [Video Recording]

Thursday, May 29, 2025, 12-1 p.m.
Panelists: Chris Mattmann, Al Lavassani, Zainab Shakoor, and Shea Lovan
Moderator: Jennifer Lofthus

As generative AI becomes more embedded in everyday applications, ensuring the safe handling of UC data is crucial. This webinar explores key risks associated with AI tools, particularly those that may process sensitive data without user awareness. Through real-world examples and actionable strategies, attendees will gain best practices for protecting institutional data, understanding controlled vs. uncontrolled AI applications, identifying hidden risks in third-party tools, and ensuring compliance with UC’s IS-3 policy.

The UC AI Council Executive Summary FY 2023 - 2024

The UC AI Council has made significant strides in promoting responsible AI use across the UC system during the 2023-2024 period. Building on the foundation of the 2021 UC Responsible AI Principles, the Council has focused on integrating these principles into UC operations, fostering ethical AI development and deployment, and enhancing transparency around AI use.

To view an executive summary of the deliverables of the AI Council and its three constitutive subcommittees, please click here.

The UC Artificial Intelligence Risk Assessment Guide

The UC Artificial Intelligence Risk Assessment Guide is designed to help UC community members evaluate both the risks associated with using artificial intelligence in administrative settings and whether their intended use aligns with their location’s risk tolerance. The Guide connects AI-related risks to UC’s Responsible AI Principles, and aids users in identifying both aggravating and mitigating factors for each risk. Additionally, the Guide incorporates concepts and concerns developed within UC and by public sector leaders, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the United States Government Accountability Office. To help users gather information from suppliers about the risks associated with their products and practices, the Guide includes an appendix with key questions to ask during the procurement process. An initial assessment, or shortened version, of the UC AI Risk Assessment Guide is also available here.

Users are encouraged to use the Guide to reassess risks throughout the AI system's lifecycle, at regular intervals, or when considering an AI model for different purposes or data. The Risk Assessment Subcommittee will continue to develop and adapt the Guide to reflect emerging best practices for managing the risks associated with AI and enable UC to adopt responsible AI with greater agility.

To provide feedback on the Guide, please complete this brief survey.

UC AI Primer: Core Concepts and Fundamentals

The UC AI Primer: Core Concepts and Fundamentals is a comprehensive introduction to the world of Artificial Intelligence tailored for non-technical audiences. This training is designed to demystify AI and equip takers with a foundational understanding of its key concepts and implications. AI Primer modules include:

• The History of AI – Access AI’s journey from inception to its current state. Learn about the pivotal moments and breakthroughs that have shaped AI into the transformative technology it is today.
• What is AI? – Discover the various types of AI, including narrow AI and general AI, and understand how AI systems can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. Delve into the subsets of AI, such as Machine Learning and Deep Learning. Learn how these technologies enable computers to learn from data, identify patterns, and make decisions with minimal human intervention.
• Ethics of AI – Get familiar with the UC AI Principles and how they guide the development and deployment of AI at the UC. Understand the ethical considerations and values that ensure AI is used responsibly and for the benefit of all.
• Governance Best Practices – Learn about the best practices for governing AI. Access strategies for overseeing AI systems to ensure they are developed and used in alignment with ethical standards and societal values.
• Take a Tour of ChatGPT: Delve into use cases for ChatGPT and other generative AI models, while gaining an understanding of necessary guardrails and best practices. 

These modules will equip users with the knowledge needed to engage in informed discussions about AI and appreciate the importance of responsible AI governance. Don't have time to take the whole Primer? Users have the option to take all or just a portion of the available modules to suit their interests and needs.

Legal Guidance

Practice Areas Expertise Chart

Designed for legal professionals and UC staff, the Legal Expertise Chart serves as a guide to navigate the complex legal landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) across diverse areas, including privacy, intellectual property, discrimination, due process, and contract law. By mapping potential university activities to pertinent legal frameworks, laws, regulations, and guidance from federal and state agencies, this dynamic resource provides timely links to regulatory updates, best practices, and case law. It is an essential tool to support informed AI use and thorough risk assessment within the rapidly evolving AI policy environment.

AI Alert

The University of California's Legal Alert on Artificial Intelligence Tools provides essential guidance for UC on the legal and ethical use of AI technologies. Aimed at university administrators, legal counsel, and compliance officers, this document highlights key considerations such as data privacy, output reliability, and the necessity of prior review for commercial AI tools. It underscores the importance of treating AI tools with the same diligence as any third-party service, ensuring adherence to UC's policies on procurement, privacy, and data security. 

Statement of Awareness on AI

Promote AI savviness in your department with this easy-to-read one-page Statement of Awareness on AI that briefly reinforces some of the risks associated with AI, highlights the red flags UC staff and faculty should be aware of, and steps to take to mitigate risk. 

Responsible Artificial Intelligence: Recommendations to Guide the University of California’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy

In August 2020, UC President Michael Drake and former UC President Janet Napolitano formed the Presidential Working charged with developing overarching principles and recommendations for UC’s current and future use of AI. 

The interdisciplinary group was composed of 32 faculty and staff from all 10 UC campuses. Over the course of a year, they developed the UC Responsible AI Principles in conjunction with a Final Report detailing guidance on strategies to operationalize the principles across four high-risk AI domains: health, human resources, policing, and student experience.

AI Glossary

The AI Glossary ensures the UC community —students, faculty, and staff—have a common understanding of key AI terms and concepts to foster clear communication, reduce misunderstandings, and support more effective collaboration in developing and deploying AI. It also aids in demystifying complex AI topics, making them more accessible to non-experts, which is crucial for informed decision-making and ethical AI use across various academic and administrative functions.