Search Results

Ackland, Ben

Title: Co Founder / Technical Lead

Company: Meaning Machine GB

Ben Ackland is the Co-Founder and Tech Lead at Meaning Machine, a creatively-driven game tech start-up unlocking all-new gameplay experiences through generative AI. With 20 years of experience in innovative software development, Ben specializes in creating deep, meaningful NPC interactions through Meaning Machine’s proprietary Game Conscious™ technology - empowering both developers and creatives to explore bold new storytelling possibilities, while respecting privacy and enhancing accessibility. 

Michael Casalino

Title: Executive Creative Director

Company: Shutterstock Studios

Michael Casalino is a veteran creative director with over 27 years in the gaming industry, specializing in game development, external production, and emerging technologies. Throughout his career, he has contributed to iconic titles like Madden Football, Epic Mickey, Where’s My Water, and The Walking Dead. Currently, Michael is leading innovation at Shutterstock Studios, where he focuses on generative AI tools for 2D and 3D asset creation, helping developers streamline workflows while preserving artistic integrity. His expertise spans AAA game production, art outsourcing, and AI-driven content creation, making him a key voice in the evolving relationship between AI and game artistry. At GDC 2025, Michael will explore the love-hate relationship between artists and AI, offering insights into how AI can empower creativity rather than replace it.

Chen, Jiaxin

Title: Senior Reinforcement Learning Researcher

Company: Parametrix.ai

Jiaxin Chen holds a PhD in Computer Science from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. She joined Parametrix.ai in 2021 as a Senior Reinforcement Learning Researcher. Her work focuses on developing and applying reinforcement learning and generative AI algorithms in large-scale gaming environments. Jiaxin's cutting-edge research has been featured at leading AI conferences, including ICML, ICLR, NeurIPS, and CVPR, and has been successfully implemented in various gaming projects. She leads the development of game agent demos, providing attendees with a hands-on opportunity to experience how RL and LLM-powered game agents deliver unique and engaging player experiences.

Corazza, Stef

Title: Head of Roblox Studio

Company: Roblox

Formerly a Stanford Researcher, Stef is the founder (and former CTO/CEO) of Mixamo, the first 3D character animation service which was acquired by Adobe in 2015. Under his tenure at Adobe the 3D organization grew to over 200 people and completed the acquisition of Allegorithmic where he served as board member. Stef has been investing and advising companies in the 3D/Immersive space such as Matterport, ReadyPlayerMe, Artomatix, Rokoko, CGTrader. On the creative side Stef has built various 3D experiences for festivals and museums and is the founder of the Festival of the Impossible, an immersive media exhibition based in San Francisco. Currently Stef is the Head of Roblox Studios, the tool used by millions of creators every month to bring content to Roblox. At Roblox Stef drives Generative AI initiatives including the recently launched Roblox AI Assistant.

Horesh, Vered

Title: Chief of Strategic AI Partnerships

Company: BRIA

Vered Horesh currently serves as the Chief of Strategic AI Partnerships at Bria, where she led the visionary project of creating the world's largest dataset, licensed explicitly for Generative AI training. This groundbreaking achievement, which brought together nearly 1 billion images from almost 20 data partners, marks a pivotal moment in the AI industry and underscores her dedication to ethical AI development. With a background spanning over two decades in the high-tech legal arena, Vered brings a unique blend of legal expertise and strategic vision to her role. In her current position, Vered focuses on creating strategic partnerships and navigating the complex landscapes of legal and ethical considerations in the AI industry. Her innovative strategies have been instrumental in advancing AI technology while mitigating risks and enhancing the societal impacts of AI. As a thought leader in ethical AI development, Vered has shared valuable insights on overcoming legal and ethical hurdles, advocating for ethical data procurement, and emphasizing the importance of equitable attribution and revenue sharing. Her distinctive perspective, shaped by her experience at the intersection of technology, law, and ethics, highlights the importance of strategic foresight and ethical considerations in the advancement of AI.

Hu, Ethan

Title: CEO

Company: Meshy

Ethan Hu earned his Ph.D. in CG and AI from MIT. He is the CEO of Meshy—a generative AI tool that creates fully textured 3D models from images or text in under a minute. According to SimilarWeb and survey of a16z, Meshy is the No. 1 3D GenAI tool for game developers. Ethan is based in Silicon Valley, and his favorite animal is the llama.

Keirsey, Kent

Title: CEO and Founder

Company: Invoke

Kent Keirsey is the founder and CEO of Invoke. In 2022, he was an early contributor to Invoke's generative AI tools in open-source, building solutions for creatives that explored creative control and influence for professional creatives. Recognizing the need for these tools to serve teams, he founded Invoke in 2023 to provide image-generation software at the enterprise scale. He has been in the tech industry for over 14 years, serving as a product and business leader in startups across B2B, B2C, and Enterprise SaaS. He’s also an active participant in the industry he serves with a deep love for strategy games and RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3, roguelikes, and MOBAs like DOTA 2.

Kirby, Neil

Title: Senior Lecturer

Company: The Ohio State University

Neil Kirby is a Senior Lecturer in the Computer Science and Engineering department at the Ohio State University where he recently won the department’s excellence in teaching award. He previously won the College of Engineering’s Charles F. MacQuigg award for outstanding teaching. At OSU he teaches the Design, Development, and Documentation of Interactive Systems and the Low Level Programming classes. Currently he is exploring the impact of generative AI tools such as GitHub Copilot on college level programming classes. Before he returned to OSU, Neil was a Member of Technical Staff at Nokia, home of Bell Laboratories. There he developed .NET + database solutions used extensively in the Wireless business unit. Prior assignments included architecture consulting, speech recognition, and operations and support systems. Neil co-founded the IGDA Foundation and serves as secretary on its board. There he also assists in the selection of the Eric Dybsand AI Memorial Scholar. He also assists with the Scholars, Next Generation Leaders, and Velocity programs.

Mantegna, Micaela

Title: Abogamer

Company: Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University

Known as the 'Abogamer', Micaela stands as an international authority on digital ethics, XR policy, and the intertwining of generative AI with creativity and copyright. With an unique intersection of expertise, she is recognized as a videogame scholar and activist who brings a powerful voice to the frontier of digital realities. As a TED Fellow, she challenged the world with the question, How to stop the metaverse from becoming the internet's bad sequel? in a TED talk that garnered over 1.5 million views worldwide. A very sought after speaker, she has presented in conferences like GDC, TED, GamesBeat Summit, Ada Lovelace Festival, More Than Just a Game, RightsCon and many more, reaching audiences in over 28 countries. Micaela currently serves on Chatham House's AI Taskforce, and as a member of the World Economic Forum's 'Global Council on the Future of the Metaverse'. As an affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University, she started and is co-leading the Video Game and XR Policy Working Group. Result of over 6 years of research, her debut book, ARTficial: Creativity, Artificial Intelligence, and Copyright (2022) is a deep dive into the intricate world of AI, art, ethics, and copyright law, which accurately predicted a lot of the current questions and problems posed by the rise of Generative AI. Her forthcoming book, Braindancing in the Metaverse : a capitalism of cognitive surveillance (2024), unpacks the trajectory of the metaverse as an evolution of digital capitalism, -as opposed to the post-scarcity future promised by generative AI and web3 ideals-; connecting the dots between neurotechnology, XR, AI and the role of intellectual property in regulating digital ownership, to paint the picture of a dystopian future that challenges human agency, mental privacy and dignity. Her work and insights echo across global platforms, having been featured in prestigious outlets like The Verge, WIRED, GamesBeat, IGN, DW, Gamernet Japan, and Le Monde. Micaela holds a Master's degree in Intellectual Property from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and San Andres University, where she also teaches AI Governance and Ethics at San Andres' Center for Technology and Society (CETyS). She has been recognized for her research on algorithmic governance, with the 2017 Google Policy Fellowship. Micaela's unique blend of expertise is frequently sought after by institutions and governments, being the lead drafter of Argentina's National AI Plan's Ethics and regulation chapter in 2019. She has also contributed to OpenAI's DALL·E 2 external red teaming process in March 2022. A passionate advocate for inclusion, she founded Women In Games Argentina (WIGAr), aiming for a more equitable gaming industry. For her trailblazing career, she was honored by Women in Games International (WIGJ) as their 2021 Outstanding Individual Ambassador of the Year, being also spotlighted as a 2021 Gamechanger by GamesIndustry.biz. Proving the transformative impact of video games on her journey and her profound connection with 'Mass Effect' , one of the highlights of her career as the Abogamer is being featured by EA Games in their 'Legendary Edition Community Tribute'. The game's exploration of synthetic life and the profound quote 'Does this unit have a soul?', has been the catalyst for her pursuit of AI ethics, guiding her academic and professional trajectory. Aligned with her admiration for the ethos of Star Trek, Micaela advocates for a future where artificial intelligence can lead us towards a post-scarcity society. She underscores the need for diligent governance and ethical practices now to steer our path towards such an equitable future, a message she passionately communicates through her work.

Ishan Sharma

Title: Senior Product Manager, Google Cloud

Company: Google

Ishan Sharma is a Senior Product Manager in Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) at Google Cloud focused on driving accelerator infrastructure and platform innovation for running AI/ML/HPC workloads. He also leads the GKE games team building the technology to power Generative AI in games. With years of product management and engineering leadership experience across cloud, AI/ML, IoT, and nanotechnology at startups and large companies, he is driven to build cutting-edge solutions that push boundaries. Let's connect and discuss the future of AI!