Better Together: California Convening on AI in Higher Education
We can't wait for you to attend Better Together: California Convening on AI in Higher Education, hosted by UC San Diego in partnership with the California Education Learning Lab, on February 5 & 6, 2026 at UC San Diego Park & Market in downtown San Diego.
This event will bring together faculty, students, administrators, and industry partners from across the University of California, California State University, and California Community College systems. By embracing our better together spirit, we will highlight and foster collaboration across institutions and explore how AI is reshaping teaching, learning, and student success.
TICKETS FOR THIS EVENT ARE SOLD OUT
Schedule at a Glance
Thursday, February 5, 2026
| Start Time | End Time | Happening | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
Learning Lab Grantee collaboration meetings |
UC San Diego Park & Market |
Friday, February 6, 2026
| Start Time | End Time | Happening | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. | 8:50 a.m. | Registration/Check-In | Forum |
| 9:00 a.m. | 9:15 a.m. | Welcome Remarks | Guggenheim Theatre |
| 9:15 a.m. | 9:45 a.m. | Fireside Chat Between Learning Lab & UC San Diego | Guggenheim Theatre |
| 9:50 a.m. | 11:00 a.m. |
Panel 1: Ethics & Responsibilities in AI AI is poised to transform education and society, but at what cost? How do we prepare students, educators, and communities to engage with AI ethically and critically, not just efficiently? This panel explores tensions of the AI age as they intersect with higher education, including academic integity, bias, privacy, intellectual ownership, environmental impact, and the widening digital divide. Speakers will bring perspectives from the education, philosophy, law and policy, computer science, and student experience to explore how ethics and responsible practice should be embedded across disciplines as well as within AI tools themselves. |
Guggenheim Theatre |
| 11:10 a.m. | 12:10 p.m. |
Presentations, Workshops & Poster Sessions |
Guggenheim Theatre, Room 213, Room 214 & Room 211/212 |
| 12:10 p.m. | 1:10 p.m. |
Lunch and Networking |
Forum |
| 1:10 p.m. | 2:20 p.m. |
Panel 2: Institutional Readiness for AI Across the UCs, CSUs, CCCs What does true institutional readiness for AI look like, and how close are we to achieving it? As AI moves to the mainstream of teaching and learning, campuses must decide how to build the shared infrastructure and policies that make innovation both secure and equitable. This panel brings together leaders shaping California’s AI future to share real-world lessons from cross-system collaborations that are lowering barriers, protecting privacy, and expanding opportunity. Expect a lively, candid conversation about meeting institutional needs through regional collaborations versus system-wide or state-wide efforts, trade-offs between speed and safety, centralization and innovation, industry partnerships and academic independence, and what it really takes to prepare higher education for AI at scale. |
Guggenheim Theatre |
| 2:30 p.m. | 3:20 p.m. |
Presentations, Workshops & Poster Sessions |
Guggenheim Theatre, Room 213, Room 214 & Room 211/212 |
| 3:30 p.m. | 4:40 p.m. |
Panel 3: Industry Insights — AI Impact Across Sectors AI is transforming the way California industries work, hire, and innovate. Is the future California workforce prepared? This panel brings together faculty with leaders from technology, defense, and the entertainment industry to reveal how AI is reshaping industry in real time in our state. Panelists will share real-world applications, ethical considerations, and opportunities for collaboration with higher education to prepare students for success in an AI-driven economy. |
Guggenheim Theatre |
| 4:40 p.m. | 4:50 p.m. | Emcee Closing Remarks | Guggenheim Theatre |
| 4:50 p.m. | 6:00 p.m. | Reception | Forum |
Principles of Community
We hope that you will join us in upholding and promoting our Principles of Community in all UC San Diego events and keeping our community free from any and all forms of discrimination and harassment.