Giovanni Vigna represented ACTION at the inaugural meeting of the University of California's AI Steering Committee, held on June 8th. The gathering brought together leaders from across UC's campuses, health system, and national laboratories for a full day of conversation about how our institution should approach artificial intelligence.
Across two breakout groups, several themes emerged with strong consensus:
- Human connection first. AI investment must keep human connection at the center of everything the university does.
- Equitable access. Compute and tools need to be available across every campus. No one should be left behind.
- AI literacy as a starting point. An introductory AI literacy experience for students and employees is a good, achievable first step.
- Principled industry partnerships. Collaborations with outside companies should be grounded in non-exclusivity, interoperability, and data portability, so that UC's values and independence remain intact.
The day also included a fireside conversation between President Milliken and Regent Anguiano, which grounded the discussion in the University of California's role as a public trust and its responsibility to the people of California.
In the coming weeks, several time-bound working groups will begin to take shape, each tied to an opportunity area in the Committee's Charter and organized around a 90-day deliverable and 12-month goals.
Planning is now underway for a UC AI Showcase, a future event that will bring the Steering Committee back together with campus leaders, faculty, students, and outside partners to highlight the work already happening across the system. More details will follow as planning progresses.
With UC Santa Barbara and UC Berkeley being part of ACTION, the Institute is proud to be able to contribute to this committee.