MBZUAI and Abu Dhabi Gaming Explore AI in Gaming

Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has hosted the second session of its flagship community engagement initiative, MAILIS, in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Gaming. The event, titled ‘AI Joins the Game’, explored the rapidly growing influence of artificial intelligence across the gaming sector — from gameplay and storytelling to new career opportunities and industry innovation.

As part of MBZUAI’s Year of Community outreach initiative, MAILIS serves as a platform to bring together students, researchers, and industry professionals to exchange ideas and inspire the next generation of AI talent within the UAE. The latest session welcomed a diverse panel of speakers including:

• Rawdha Almeraikhi, Director of Outreach, MBZUAI

• Hamdan Al Ali, Ph.D. Candidate in Natural Language Processing, MBZUAI

• Boris Kalmykov, Co-founder and CEO of Hypemasters, and former executive at Meta and Unity

• Marcos Muller-Habig, Abu Dhabi Gaming Sector Enablement Director

• Ariana Bermudez, Project Manager, MBZUAI

The discussion centred on how AI is transforming creativity and storytelling in the games industry, while spotlighting fresh opportunities for local talent to contribute to this global sector. The session also reinforced Abu Dhabi’s ambitions to establish itself as a global gaming hub, with AI positioned as a core enabler of this growth.

Opening the session, Rawdha Almeraikhi underlined MBZUAI’s commitment to providing inclusive platforms for knowledge exchange and innovation. “Our MAILIS initiative offers an inclusive space where meaningful conversations begin with young minds, seasoned experts, and aspiring creators, who are excited and passionate about how AI can transform industries such as health, energy, creative arts, transport, and education. In this session, we explored the gaming universe through an AI lens, bridging imagination and innovation,” she stated.

Marcos Muller-Habig spoke about AI’s ability to enhance rather than replace human creativity within the gaming world. “Artificial intelligence is not here to replace creativity or human ingenuity — it’s here to amplify it,” he said. “In gaming, AI is unlocking new possibilities that were once unimaginable, from personalising player experiences to more immersive storytelling. At Abu Dhabi Gaming we are fostering local talent in this evolving space, supporting individuals and companies that are exploring new ways to move the industry forward. Abu Dhabi is rapidly becoming a global hub for innovation in gaming, with AI serving as a powerful tool to create new roles and business opportunities – and we’re excited to be a part of this movement.”

The programme also featured a keynote session by Boris Kalmykov, who drew upon his global experience in gaming and technology to share insights on how AI is reshaping gameplay mechanics, business models, and narrative design within modern games.

Additionally, MBZUAI Ph.D. students presented original research projects. Ariana Bermudez Venegas showcased her work on AI simulation and real-time interaction in virtual environments, while Hamdan Hamid Al-Ali, a system developer at Dubai Police and NLP Ph.D. candidate, introduced AI-powered games rooted in Emirati heritage. His projects, Al Sharah and Emirati Tales, aim to preserve cultural storytelling traditions while incorporating educational gaming elements.

The event concluded with an interactive Q&A, encouraging audience members to engage directly with speakers on the future of AI within the creative industries.

MAILIS continues to build momentum as a vital platform connecting academia, industry, and community around AI’s most exciting possibilities. By turning the spotlight on gaming and creative sectors, this session reaffirmed MBZUAI’s vision to nurture local talent, inspire innovation, and advance the UAE’s global leadership in responsible, inclusive AI innovation.