Compliance and Enterprise Risk Committee's (CERC) Artificial Intelligence Risk Subcommittee (AIR)

CERC-AIR

Purpose and Structure

The CERC-AIR Subcommittee was created at the joint suggestion of the Provost's Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence and the Compliance and Enterprise Risk Committee (CERC) in 2025. Its purpose is to provide a risk assessment and risk mitigation advice to Berkeley units, departments, schools and colleges by reviewing proposed new AI tools or new uses of existing tools.
While the committee expects that the majority of the proposals it reviews will involve administrative uses of AI, the committee welcomes proposals on tools used in teaching and research as well.
CERC-AIR is comprised of representatives from CERC and other units across campus. CERC-AIR counts faculty, staff, and students among its members.

Overview of AI Risk Assessment Process

CERC-AIR's review is informed by the UC AI Council’s Risk Assessment Guide.
CERC-AIR meets every two weeks. Proposals may be referred to CERC-AIR through the procurement process, or individuals who are developing their own tools can also consult with CERC-AIR.
In order to have your proposal reviewed by CERC-AIR, please complete an AI Risk Pre-Screening. This screening will assist the committee in determing whether the proposed use of AI falls in CERC-AIR's purview. Requestors will be advised as to next steps immediately following submission of the screening.
Following completion of the AI Risk Pre-Screening, requestors whose proposals are deemed to be within the purview of CERC-AIR will be asked to complete the Full AI Risk Assessment.
The result of CERC-AIR's review is a high level risk assessment as well as specific recommendations for the unit head to consider before moving forward with the proposal. CERC-AIR may also refer proposals to other specialized offices or committees as appropriate.
CERC-AIR's review may occur simultaneously with reviews for privacy, security, or accessibility, as appropriate.

Contact

Email cerc-air@berkeley.edu if you are interested in learning more about the CERC-AIR review process.

FAQs

Why should I participate in the AI risk assessment process?

AI poses enormous potential to improve our lives, but also includes risks. Completing the AI risk assessment helps units consider areas of risk that they may not have yet considered. It also provides a shared language to use in discussing these risks with vendors, members of the unit's project team, and compliance and legal experts across the UC system.

Who will review the AI risk assessment I submit?

CERC-AIR will review the results of this assessment. CERC-AIR provides guidance to Berkeley units, departments, schools and colleges regarding the development or procurement and implementation of new, AI-enabled products or services for use by the Berkeley community in teaching, learning and administration.

What is the relationship between UC Berkeley’s CERC-AI Risk Assessment and the UC AI Council's AI Risk Assessment Guide?

Areas of CERC-AIR's review correspond with the UC AI Council’s Risk Assessment Guide, which, itself, is based upon the National Institute of Standards and Technology's AI Risk Management Framework.

What subject areas comprise this assessment?

This assessment collects information about to what extent the proposed tool comports with the UC's Responsible AI Principles. These principles are gathered in five sections; they are: 1) Appropriateness / Shared Benefit and Prosperity, 2) Privacy and Security, and 3) Transparency, 4) Fairness and Non-Discrimination, Human Values, and 5) Accountability and Accuracy, Reliability and Safety.

Is this assessment the same as the security review or privacy review? How do these relate?

This assessment is independent. The same proposals may go through one, two, or all three reviews, depending on what the proposal involves. These three reviews are not directly dependent on one another and can proceed in parallel.