Audrey Woods, MIT CSAIL Alliances | March 23, 2026
What happens when the team behind PlayStation meets the researchers pushing the boundaries of AI? You get The Nexus of Games and AI, a 12-part MIT Independent Activities Period (IAP) course, now available to stream.
Following a celebrated debut in 2025, CSAIL Alliances Affiliate Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) returned to MIT this January for Nexus II, this time as a for-credit course led by CSAIL Professor Fredo Durand. Over the month of January, 60 students gathered in MIT’s Stata Center to explore the frontier where computer science meets creative play. The sessions bridged academic research and industry application, allowing students to both learn about and develop the AI tools reshaping how games are designed, developed, and experienced. Nexus II culminated in a series of innovative student-led hackathon projects.
Missed the live course? Level up on your own time. The full lecture series is now available for free below. Featuring experts from SIE PlayStation, world-class MIT CSAIL researchers, and collaborators from USC, Northeastern, and Haven Studios, these sessions offer a front-row seat to the cutting edge of games and AI.
Introduction & Course Overview — Mike Stopa (SIE) & Fredo Durand (MIT CSAIL)
How AI is Reshaping Game Design — Nate Gross (SIE)
The Learned Renderer: Graphics meets ML — Erick Flores (SIE)
AI with Social Influence for Enjoyment — Gale Lucas (USC)
Navigating Risk & Opportunity in Production — Neil Ingram (SIE)
Leveraging Social Media and Generative AI — Ram Barankin (SIE)
Gaze Behavior and Player Skill in Rocket League — Leanne Chukoskie (Northeastern)
Control and Learned Preferences — Jennifer Corbett (MIT)
0-1 Game Dev with Machine Learning — Logan Olson (Haven Studios)
Generative Systems and Identity — Fox Harrell (MIT CSAIL)
Student Project Presentations & Capstone — Final Session
