AIIDE-26 — 22nd AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment
by AAAI (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence)
AAAI's research conference on AI for games and interactive entertainment — first time outside North America
About This Event
AIIDE-26, the 22nd AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment, runs November 9–13, 2026 at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Belo Horizonte, Brazil — the first AIIDE held outside the United States and Canada. Sponsored by AAAI, with Matthew Guzdial (University of Alberta) as general chair and Lucas N. Ferreira (UFMG) as program chair, it is AAAI's dedicated research venue for AI in games and interactive media. This edition's special theme, 'New Grounds', invites new problem settings, applications and constraints for game AI. Workshops — Experimental AI in Games (EXAG) and the new Workshop on Automated Game Design (WAGD) — run November 9–10, alongside the long-running StarCraft AI Competition, a QDA-VC competition, a case-studies track, a doctoral consortium and artifact evaluation for accepted papers.
At a Glance
- Date
- November 9–13, 2026
- Location
- Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Format
- In-Person
- Event Type
- Conference
- Status
- Upcoming
- Pricing
- Paid
- Organizer
- AAAI (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence)
- Added
- Sep 19, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 19, 2026
Topics & Focus Areas
Who Should Attend
- ✓Game AI researchers
- ✓CTOs and technical directors at game studios
- ✓AI engineers in interactive entertainment and simulation
- ✓Designers of co-creative and generative content tools
- ✓PhD students in AI and games
- ✓Media and entertainment technology leaders
Why Attend
For studio CTOs and heads of AI at game, media and simulation companies, AIIDE is where techniques now reaching production — procedural content generation, player modeling, NPC behavior, reinforcement learning for games and co-creative design tools — are presented by the researchers who built them, well before they turn up in engine plug-ins. The case-studies track and artifact evaluation make results easier to reproduce in-house, and the event is a direct recruiting line into game-AI PhD programs. Early registration closes October 9, 2026.
Event Features
- ✓Main technical program: peer-reviewed 9-page AAAI-format papers under the 'New Grounds' theme
- ✓Workshops Nov 9–10: Experimental AI in Games (EXAG) and the new Workshop on Automated Game Design (WAGD)
- ✓StarCraft AI Competition (held before the conference) and the QDA-VC Competition
- ✓Case-studies track
- ✓Doctoral Consortium
- ✓Artifact evaluation (deadline Sept 25, 2026)
What Makes This Unique
- ★First AIIDE held outside the United States and Canada, with a 'New Grounds' special theme to match
- ★AAAI-sponsored, peer-reviewed venue specifically for AI in games and interactive digital entertainment (22nd edition)
- ★Hosts the StarCraft: Brood War AI Competition, a standing benchmark for real-time planning, spatial reasoning and opponent modeling
- ★Artifact evaluation for accepted papers, making results easier to reproduce
Industries Represented
Pricing Details
Technical conference, early rate through Oct 9, 2026 (11:59 pm EDT): AAAI member $635, AAAI student member $320, nonmember $785, student nonmember $430, Silver (includes one-year AAAI membership) $770 regular / $370 student. Late rate from Oct 10: member $775, student member $450, nonmember $960, student nonmember $560, Silver $910 / $500. Includes all technical sessions, invited talks and electronic proceedings. Workshops (Nov 9–10): $125 regular / $80 student with technical registration, or $175 / $115 workshop-only. Refund requests by Oct 9, 2026, less a $50 fee. All prices USD.
Organizer
AAAI (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence)
aaai.org/Frequently Asked
- When is AIIDE 2026?
- AIIDE 2026 takes place November 9–13, 2026 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
- Where is AIIDE 2026 held?
- AIIDE 2026 is held in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The event format is in-person.
- How much does AIIDE 2026 cost?
- AIIDE 2026 is paid. Technical conference, early rate through Oct 9, 2026 (11:59 pm EDT): AAAI member $635, AAAI student member $320, nonmember $785, student nonmember $430, Silver (includes one-year AAAI membership) $770 regular / $370 student. Late rate from Oct 10: member $775, student member $450, nonmember $960, student nonmember $560, Silver $910 / $500. Includes all technical sessions, invited talks and electronic proceedings. Workshops (Nov 9–10): $125 regular / $80 student with technical registration, or $175 / $115 workshop-only. Refund requests by Oct 9, 2026, less a $50 fee. All prices USD.
- Who should attend AIIDE 2026?
- AIIDE 2026 is aimed at Game AI researchers, CTOs and technical directors at game studios, AI engineers in interactive entertainment and simulation, Designers of co-creative and generative content tools, PhD students in AI and games, Media and entertainment technology leaders.
- What topics does AIIDE 2026 cover?
- AIIDE 2026 covers Procedural content generation, Reinforcement learning for games, NPC AI and multi-agent systems, Player modeling and analytics, Narrative intelligence and interactive fiction, Computational creativity and co-creative tools, Human-AI teaming, Natural language processing in games.
Sources
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