CCC Chancellor Christian Discusses AI in Education at Dreamforce

California Community Colleges (CCC) Chancellor Sonya Christian recently joined Salesforce Vice President of Philanthropy Ron Smith and musician will.i.am at Dreamforce 2026 in San Francisco to discuss the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. The conversation centered on preparing students and faculty to use AI as a tool for learning, creativity, and problem-solving while maintaining safeguards around privacy, security, and ethical use.

According to Christian, the CCC system's approach is focused on helping students become more capable as AI technology advances. 'We want students building with these tools, questioning them, and creating things they could not create before,' Christian said during the discussion. The system serves over 2 million students statewide, and has been working with philanthropic support from Salesforce to explore how AI can be incorporated into education.

Students have expressed interest in hands-on AI experience while also raising concerns about overreliance on the technology and its potential effects on critical thinking and creativity. Faculty involved in the work have explored approaches including project-based assignments, purposeful use of AI, and having students evaluate and critique AI-generated work.