SAN FRANCISCO — California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian joined technology entrepreneur will.i.am and Salesforce’s vice president of philanthropy, Ron Smith, at Dreamforce 2026 to outline how the nation’s largest higher-education system is preparing students and faculty to use artificial intelligence as a learning tool while protecting privacy, security and equity.
Preparing students to build and critique with AI
The discussion, described in a press release from the CCC Chancellor’s Office, highlighted efforts by the statewide system — which serves more than 2 million students — to balance opportunity and risk as AI tools become more prevalent on campuses.
Christian framed the system’s approach around student agency and creative use of technology.
“We want students building with these tools, questioning them, and creating things they could not create before,”she said during the Dreamforce panel.
According to the Chancellor’s Office, students have expressed a strong desire for hands-on experience with emerging technologies, alongside concerns about potential overreliance on AI and effects on critical thinking and creativity. Faculty involved in the initiative have been testing alternatives to traditional assignments, including:
- project-based learning that incorporates AI tools;
- purposeful, guided use of AI in coursework;
- assignments requiring students to evaluate and critique AI-generated outputs.
Partnerships and principles guiding implementation
The CCC Chancellor’s Office said it is working with students and faculty on curriculum and practice experiments, with philanthropic support from Salesforce. The system’s efforts align with its Vision 2030 strategic direction, which names artificial intelligence and the future of teaching and learning as priorities.
Officials say the AI work is framed by a set of guiding values the system calls the HUMANS principles, which emphasize human voice and agency, equity, privacy, transparency and ongoing dialogue between students and faculty.
| Metric or Framework | Detail |
|---|---|
| Students served | More than 2 million |
| Strategic plan | Vision 2030 (prioritizes AI and future of teaching) |
| Guiding values | HUMANS principles: human voice/agency, equity, privacy, transparency, student-faculty dialogue |
Implications for faculty, students and policy
The CCC’s public discussion at a major technology conference underscores a broader trend: systems of higher education are increasingly engaging technology companies, philanthropic partners and campus communities to shape how AI is taught and used. For faculty, this means experimenting with assignment design and assessment practices to ensure students develop both digital skills and critical judgment.
For students, the CCC approach centers on access to tools and opportunities to innovate, balanced by instruction that addresses the limits and ethical dimensions of AI. Will.i.am, founder and CEO of FYI.AI, emphasized making emerging technologies available to community college students so they can devise solutions for problems in their communities.
Policy and governance questions remain central. The Chancellor’s Office singled out privacy, security and ethical use as areas of attention — issues that state systems, accrediting bodies and federal policymakers are also grappling with as institutions expand AI adoption.
By situating AI work within Vision 2030 and the HUMANS principles, the California Community Colleges are signaling an intent to pursue a structured, values-driven rollout rather than ad hoc adoption. How those principles translate into classroom policies, faculty training and student outcomes will shape the system’s next steps and could inform practices elsewhere.
As AI tools continue to evolve, the CCC’s efforts at Dreamforce reflect a broader question facing U.S. higher education: how to harness new technologies to expand learning opportunities while maintaining academic integrity, equity and student agency.
