- UC Davis is using AI to modernize HR and healthcare workflows, laying groundwork for a more efficient workforce.
- Early success shows how AI can enhance human roles, offering a model for the future of work in complex institutions.
- By building tools internally, the university ensures data privacy while creating scalable, secure AI systems.
Tammy Kenber, Chief Human Resources Officer at UC Davis and UC Davis Health, doesnโt strike you as someone prone to hyperbole. Yet when she described her teamโs early experiences with generative AI in her interview with me, her voice carried the tone of someone genuinely surprised by the results.ย
โItโs way better than I expected it to be,โ she admitted, reflecting on the universityโs integration of Gen AI across certain workflows in human resources and healthcare operations. โItโs been very positively received by the majority of those using it.โย
For a public research university with nearly 40,000 employees, straddling both an academic institution and an expansive health system, digital transformation is never simple. Yet UC Davisโs approach to AI demonstrates a level-headed, methodical embrace of what many still consider a disruptive technology.ย
With thoughtful governance, a clear focus on employee experience, and a relentless attention to privacy and ethics, UC Davis is crafting a blueprint for how large institutions can responsibly harness the power of AI โ without losing their soul in the process.ย
Building AI Tools Within the Firewallย
AI is now deeply embedded in the universityโs daily operations. The most visible impact has been the transformation of what Kenber calls โAggie Service,โ the universityโs Salesforce-based employee case management platform. This is where HR, IT, and other administrative teams respond to staff employment issues and process all employment related transactions and service requests.ย
UC Davis infused this system with predictive AI capabilities, giving it both a facelift and a smart assistant function.ย
โWhen employees log in and start documenting their issue, the AI now suggests likely solutions based on past resolved cases,โ Kenber explained. โWeโve just started using it, so we donโt yet have long-term metrics yet, but early signs suggest itโs going to reduce the number of cases significantly.โย
Kenberโs team also developed a second AI tool housed entirely within UC Davisโs digital infrastructure โ again, avoiding public AI models. This one answers policy-related questions from staff, parsing the complex web of University of California guidelines with speed and accuracy.ย
โWeโre part of a large system, and that means a lot of policies,โ she said. โThis tool helps employees get clarity fast, without needing to email five people.โย
The decision to keep everything in-house wasnโt just a technical preference, but a non-negotiable requirement.ย
โSecurity and data privacy were our primary concerns,โ said Kenber. โWe needed something that lived entirely within the UC Davis firewall.โย
Thatโs a common refrain among education and healthcare leaders, particularly in the public sector, where the margin for error with sensitive data is razor thin.ย
Healthcare Adoption: Eye Contact and Efficiencyย
While administrative use cases for AI are growing, perhaps the most human-centered impact of the technology has emerged in UC Davis Healthโs clinical setting. The organization has deployed a Gen AI-powered documentation assistant for physicians, allowing them to focus on patient interaction while the system captures and summarizes visit notes in real time.ย
โThe doctor or physicianโs assistant will ask the patientโs permission to use the tool at the beginning of the visit,โ Kenber explained. โThen the AI listens and generates a summary, which becomes part of the medical record. It frees the physician to maintain eye contact and really engage with the patient.โย
Initial skepticism from clinicians was expected. Would the tool miss critical information? Could it interpret the nuance of human interaction? But the results quickly diffused those doubts. โItโs really effective,โ she says. โIt surprised many, just how good it was. The resistance has started to fade simply because the tool has been highly effective and feedback outstanding.โย
And because this application operates in a domain where privacy isn’t optional but regulated, HIPAA compliance was critical. Kenber emphasizes that no tool can be deployed without going through UC Davisโs extensive vendor risk assessment and legal review processes.ย
โWe have an information security office, and our attorneys were involved every step of the way,โ she noted. โNothing moved forward without thorough vetting.โย
A Culture of Cautious Innovationย
Despite the momentum, UC Davis hasnโt lost sight of the ethical and practical dilemmas that come with AI. As Kenber acknowledges, higher education has not always been quick to embrace technological change, especially one so closely tied to fears about academic dishonesty and job displacement.ย
โWeโre seeing it being used for everything, from HR to marketing to compliance,โ she said. โBut thereโs still a lot of uncertainty about where to draw the line. Was something written by a person? Was it AI-assisted? And how do we even know?โย
These concerns underscore why governance matters. While existing structures are in place across the UC system, Kenber notes that UC Davis has also established its own AI council to ensure multi-stakeholder oversight. Yet even with these guardrails, formal rules around AI are still being developed.ย
โWeโre in the early stages,โ she admitted. โThe tools are evolving daily, and the policies havenโt fully caught up.โย
Thatโs why adaptability is baked into their approach. Kenber sees Gen AI not as a magic wand but as a fast-moving current that demands agility and cross-functional coordination. Her team is already looking to expand AI’s footprint, including in job description creation tools. The only delay? Internal IT capacity.ย
โWe need some programming support to flip the switch,โ she said, chuckling. โI have a ticket in right now. I suspect a lot of departments do.โย
The Road Ahead: Bigger, Faster, Smarterย
What stands out most in UC Davisโs journey is not just the breadth of Gen AI integration, but the pragmatism behind it. Kenber and her colleagues are implementing it thoughtfully, carefully, and always with a focus on people. In a landscape where some organizations race ahead without a plan and others freeze in fear, UC Davis has found a middle path. And the results, at least so far, have defied expectations.ย
โThereโs no question itโs going to keep growing,โ Kenber said. โWeโre asking IT for more help to operationalize it, and thatโs just within HR. Other departments are doing the same. Itโs happening fast, but itโs also happening responsibly.โย
That balance between speed and stewardship, and between excitement and ethics, may ultimately be UC Davisโs most powerful innovation. And as generative AI continues to reshape the workplace, that kind of leadership will matter more than ever.
