Speakers

Alex is an AI researcher and entrepreneur specializing in reinforcement learning and continual learning systems. She is the co-founder of Artificial Agency, where she develops AI behavior engines for next-generation video games. Previously a Research Scientist at DeepMind, Alex earned her PhD from the University of Alberta and has spent more than a decade advancing the field of machine intelligence through both research and industry innovation.

Ida is a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research NYC. In this role, she broadly focus on building and evaluating generative AI, inspired by her research in cognitive neuroscience, reinforcement learning, and NeuroAI. Specifically, she study how humans and AI build models of the world and use them in memory, exploration, & planning. She builds and tests brain & behavior inspired algorithms for learning & reasoning, e.g., AI for gaming with Xbox. Her approach combines reinforcement learning, neural networks, large language models, & machine learning with behavioral experiments, fMRI, & electrophysiology.

Marlos is an Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta, Amii Fellow, and Canada CIFAR AI Chair. His research advances reinforcement learning, continual learning, and representation learning, with applications ranging from game AI to real-world autonomous systems. Previously, he was a researcher at DeepMind and Google Brain, where he contributed to several influential reinforcement learning projects, including the AI control of Google's Loon balloon network.

Martin is Head of Machine Learning at Embark Studios, where he leads research and development of AI systems for next-generation games. With a background spanning reinforcement learning, generative AI, simulation, and game animation, he combines academic research and industry experience to build intelligent systems that bring virtual worlds and characters to life. He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.Sc. in Engineering Physics from KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

Sam is an AI researcher specializing in reinforcement learning, multi-agent systems, and game AI. Currently an AI Research Scientist at Meta Superintelligence Labs, he previously served as Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research. His work focuses on creating intelligent agents that learn, imitate, and collaborate with humans, with applications spanning video games, embodied AI, and interactive virtual environments.

Thomas is a senior research scientist at Sony AI where he investigates the use of reinforcement learning in game-AI applications. He received his Ph.D. in computer science from Rutgers University and a B.S. in computer science from UMBC. Before joining Sony AI, Tom led an industry AI team focused on workforce applications and held research positions at MIT, the University of Kansas, and the University of Arizona. Tom’s previous research spans multiple domains including robotics, education, and logistics. His work has been published in top AI conferences and journals including AAAI, ICML, and NeurIPS.