The University of California’s Provost, Katherine S. Newman, and Chief Information Officer, Van Williams, look forward to gathering the university’s leaders to discuss the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the upcoming UC AI Congress, “What the Future Holds: A UC Congress on the Impact and Promise of Artificial Intelligence,” from Wednesday, February 28 – Thursday, February 29, 2024, at UCLA.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming higher education, publishing, health care, law, and countless other domains. New platforms are reshaping the labor market and the stock market. Please join us for a critical, UC-wide gathering with colleagues from campuses, health systems and national labs to discuss cutting edge advances in research, as well as the challenges AI poses to the professions and to our own practices, from the classroom and lab to the clinic. Our evening keynote speaker, MIT Institute Professor Daron Acemoglu, is a leading expert on the impact of technological revolutions; his keynote will be followed by remarks by discussant Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan, professor in the UCLA Department of Information Studies and founder of the UC-wide Digital Cultures Lab. Our lunchtime keynote speaker, UCLA Professor and Macarthur Award winner Safiya Umoja Noble, will discuss her work to increase transparency and equity in AI systems. 

Event Details

What the Future Holds: A UC Congress on the Impact and Promise of Artificial Intelligence
Dates: Wednesday, February 28 – Thursday, February 29, 2024
Location: Both at UCLA & online
Hosts: Katherine S. Newman, Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, University of California, and Van Williams Vice President of IT, and Chief Information Officer, University of California
Cost: Transportation and lodging will not be provided, but other costs (conference fees and meals from Wednesday evening to Thursday afternoon) will be covered by the hosts
Audience: By invitation only for leaders and experts from UC (UC faculty, administrative leaders, students, alumni), the government and the private sector. An event registration link will be emailed to all invited guests.
Format: Hybrid event with in-person capacity for 250 guests, as well as online options which were sent to invited guests
Contact: Alissa Kinney Moe: alissa.moe@ucop.edu
Registration: Closed

Conference goals

1. Identify opportunities to leverage AI across wide range of use cases within higher education
2. Raise awareness of the importance of safe, ethical and non-discriminatory AI among UC students, faculty, and staff 
3. Galvanize a community of stakeholders who are committed to working together to ensure that AI is used for good and appropriately prepares the future workforce
4. Update recommendations found in the 2021 Presidential Working Group Report for how UC can use AI as amplifying and non-discriminatory force in support of UC’s mission

Program topics

• Keynote speakers Daron Acemoglu, MIT and Safiya Umoja Noble, UCLA, will cover a number of trending topics of interest, including how AI will affect future labor markets and how to assess and reduce bias in AI.
• Panel sessions will discuss high-value opportunities in research, teaching and learning, innovation, healthcare delivery and broader application areas across the university.
• Breakout sessions on the following topics:
  • AI and Climate, Ag Tech (Facilitator: Josh Viers, UC Merced AgAID)
  • AI for National Security and Cybersecurity (Facilitator: Brian Spears, LLNL)
  • AI for Health Care (Facilitator: Alpesh Amin, UCI)
  • AI for Teaching and Learning (Facilitator: Tamara Tate, UCI)
  • AI and the Creative Sector (Facilitator: Jeff Burke, UCLA)
  • AI in Computational Research Applications and Research Integrity (Facilitator: Ilkay Altintas, UCSD)
  • AI in Biomedical and Clinical Research (Facilitator: Ida Sim, UCSF)

Background

The University of California is home to leading AI researchers in computer science, data science, as well as experts in administrative and teaching roles who are beginning to experience the societal implications of AI. Like other institutions of its kind, UC employs advanced uses of AI in its enterprise operations, research, education and patient care. Additionally, many UC stakeholders, including students, faculty and staff, are actively engaged in testing and adopting new AI applications. The scale of UC’s impact is vast, including 500,000 students, faculty and staff, across 10 campuses, 6 health systems, 3 national labs, as well as Agricultural and Natural Resources (ANR) division, UC San Francisco Law, and the UC Office of the President. To learn more, feel free to review this recommended reading list. See the full conference agenda here on this Eventbrite landing page.

Detailed Agenda

Wednesday, February 28, 2024: 

6-8 p.m.: Day 1: Dinner and Keynote with Dr. Daron Acemoglu and Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming our world, and its implications for the future of work are only just coming into view. This is the next chapter in the long history by which automation has transformed occupations. While there are other examples of the impact of automation on skilled work (think how computer-aided design transformed tasks of architectural renderings, for example), much of what we know about technology and the workplace involves manufacturing and routinized white collar labor. In addition to the rapid evolution we might expect, professions may feel the brunt of AI in unexpected and significant ways. Our keynote address will bring home some of the more profound changes economists might forecast and consider how these conjectures should inform our thinking about how UC could best prepare students for the labor market of the future. Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan of UCLA will join Dr. Acemoglu as a discussant.

Thursday, February 29, 20234

8:30-9 a.m.: Day 2: Welcome and Overview of Goals for the Day

With Katherine S. Newman, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor and Van Williams, Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Live Streaming for virtual attendees will begin with our welcome remarks. Goals: 

1.  Identify cutting edge research in AI ongoing in the UC system. What are the pioneers working on? What do they see as the transformative implications and applications of their research?
2. Identify opportunities to leverage AI across a wide range of use cases within higher education.
3. Raise awareness of the importance of safe, ethical and non-discriminatory AI among UC students, faculty, and staff and update recommendations found in the 2021 Presidential Working Group Report accordingly.

9-10 am: First Panel: Research Frontiers

UC is home to some of the leading AI researchers in the world, its students are actively engaged in developing, testing and using new AI applications. How can researchers in a range of disciplines harness the promise of AI and high-performance computing to accelerate discoveries while also attending to data security and questions of research integrity? Panelists will discuss their research in cutting edge areas of genetics, cybersecurity and real-time monitoring and prediction of wildfire. 

Moderator: Theresa Maldonado (UCOP): Vice President for Research and Innovation. Panelists: 1) William Wang (UCSB): Director, Center for Responsible Machine Learning; 2) Ilkay Altintas (UCSD, SDSC): Chief Data Science Officer, UCSD Supercomputer Center; 3) Ashish Atreja (UC Davis Health): Chief Information and Digital Health Officer; 4) David Danks (UCSD): Professor, Data Science & Philosophy

10-11 a.m.: Second Panel: Pedagogy and Innovation Frontiers

Artificial intelligence promises to transform the academic landscape for teachers and learners, both in the classroom and in entrepreneurial activities. How can UC best leverage advances in AI to boost students’ academic success and provide opportunities for them to explore new career paths in innovation? At the same time, AI accelerators, industry partnerships and supportive tech transfer offices can help to amplify the innovative research happening across the system. Moderator: Richard Lyons (UCB), Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer, UC Berkeley; Chair, UC President’s Council for Entrepreneurship. Panelists: 1) Jill Miller (UC Berkeley): Professor, Art Practice | Founding Director, Platform Artspace; 2) Rosibel Ochoa (UCR): Associate Vice Chancellor, Technology Partnerships; 3) Brian Spears (LLNL): AI Innovation Incubator; 4) Tamara Tate (UCI): Project Scientist, Digital Learning Lab; 5) Zac Zimmer (UCSC): Associate Professor, Literature

11:15-12:15 a.m.: Third Panel: Application Frontiers

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly important in higher education, not only in research and teaching but in the operations of the enterprise itself, it raises novel and critical questions about privacy, intellectual property, creativity, and individual rights and equality. How will universities evaluate and incorporate the rapid advances in AI and assess what the technology means for teaching, research, and healthcare services? What are the implications for higher ed institutions and our role in promoting original research and creative work, upholding principles of equity, and ensuring data security and privacy? Moderator: Camille Crittenden, CITRIS and the Banatao Institute Panelists: 1) Lucy Avetisyan (UCLA): AVC & CIO; 2) Janet Napolitano (UC Berkeley): Director, Center for Security in Politics; 3) Brandie Nonnecke (CITRIS Policy Lab): Director; 4) Jonathan Porat (California State): Chief Technology Officer

1-1:45 p.m. Lunch – Fireside Chat on Equity and Diversity in AI

Introduction by Yvette Gullatt (UCOP), VP of Graduate, Undergraduate and Equity Affairs and Vice Provost for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Featuring keynote speaker Safiya Noble (UCLA):  Professor in Gender Studies & African American Studies, in conversation with UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt.

2-3 p.m.: Topic Breakouts

Breakout session topics will include: 1) AI and Climate / Ag Tech (led by Josh Viers, UC Merced AgAID); 2) AI for National Security and Cybersecurity (led by Brian Spears, LLNL); 3) AI for Health Care (led by Alpesh Amin, UCI); 4) AI for Teaching and Learning (led by Tamara Tate, UCI); 5) AI and the Creative Sector (led by Jeff Burke, UCLA); and 6) AI in Computational Research Applications and Research Integrity (led by Ilkay Altintas, UCSD). Please note that livestreaming will be paused during the breakouts and resumed at 3:00 p.m. for the closing plenary.

3:15-4 p.m.: Closing Plenary

Summaries and recommendations from breakout groups, with Congress hosts UC Provost Katherine Newman and UC Chief Information Officer Van Williams.

Portions of the program available streaming online on 2/29/2024

The following content will be shared, live, via Zoom on Feb 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for those who registered in advance. After the conference, the content – highlights and proceedings(*) – will be shared online. Please subscribe to UC Tech News/ the UC IT Blog to learn more.

• The following portions of our program will be streamed on February 29:
  • Welcome Remarks and Overview of Goals for the Day – 8:30–8:50 AM
  • First Panel: Research Frontiers –  9:00–10:00 AM
  • Second Panel: Pedagogy and Innovation Frontiers – 10:00–11:00 AM
    (Break from 11:00–11:15 AM.)
  • Third Panel: Application Frontiers – 11:15 AM–12:15 PM
  • UC President’s Systemwide AI Council Report – 12:15–12:30 PM
    (Break from 12:30–1:00 PM.)
  • Fireside Chat on Equity and Diversity in AI – 1:00–1:45 PM
    (Note that after the Fireside Chat, we will pause streaming from 1:45–3:15 PM, while breakout discussions are taking place.)
  • Closing Plenary – 3:15–4:00 PM
    
• (*) Following the Congress, we will share highlights and proceedings with all attendees, including online attendees. These proceedings will include resources and notes from the February 28th keynote and breakout discussions, which will not be part of our streaming program. Please also see UC Tech AI Resources page, which is updated regularly, and subscribe to UC Tech News to stay current on future developments.

Program Committee

• Chair: Camille Crittenden – Executive Director, CITRIS and the Banatao Institute
• Lucy Avetisyan – Chief Information Officer, UCLA
• Jenae Cohn – Executive Director, UC Berkeley Center for Teaching and Learning 
• Kristin Cordova – Chief of Staff, Information Technology Services, UC Office of the President
• David Danks – Professor, UC San Diego, data science & philosophy 
• Yvette Gullatt – Chief Diversity Officer, UC Office of the President, Graduate and Undergraduate Affairs
• Cora Han – Chief Health Data Officer, UC Office of the President, University of California Health
• Elizabeth Joh – Faculty Advisory Board, UC Davis Law 
• Jenny Lofthus – General Compliance Manager, UC Office of the President, Ethics and Compliance
• Rich Lyons – Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer, UC Berkeley
• Katherine S. Newman – Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs of the University of California
• Mark Nitzberg – Executive Director of the UC Berkeley Center for Human-Compatible AI, Head of Strategic Outreach at the Berkeley AI Research Lab, and Director of Technology Research at the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE)
• Brandie Nonnecke – Director, CITRIS Policy Lab
• Van Williams – Vice President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, University of California

Contributing Staff

• Whit Bastian – Administrative Specialist, UC Office of the President
• Alissa Moe – Director, Outreach Events and Communications, Graduate, Undergraduate and Equity Affairs, UC Office of the President
• Laurel Skurko – Marketing & Communications Specialist, Information Technology Services, UC Office of the President
• Ghanya Thomas – Executive Assistant, Information Technology Services, UC Office of the President