AIIDE-12
The Eighth AAAI Conference on
Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment
October 10-12, 2012
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
Submission deadlines:
Workshop proposals due Apr 2, 2012
Research Papers due May 15, 2012
Industry Track abstracts due May 15, 2012
Demonstration abstracts due May 15, 2012

AIIDE-12 – the Eighth Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment – is intended to be the definitive point of interaction between entertainment software developers interested in AI and academic and industrial AI researchers. AIIDE-12 will include invited speakers, research and industry presentations, project demonstrations, interactive poster sessions, product exhibits, and a doctoral consortium. While traditionally emphasizing commercial computer and video games, we invite researchers and developers to share their insights and cutting-edge results on all topics at the intersection of all forms of entertainment and artificial intelligence, including serious games, entertainment robotics, art, and beyond. AIIDE-12 is sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI).

PAPERS
Because AIIDE-12 crosses disciplinary boundaries, submissions will be evaluated based on their accessibility to both commercial game developers and researchers in addition to their technical merit.

Research Track
Research Track papers describe AI research results that make advances towards solving known game AI problems or enabling a new form of interactive digital entertainment. The novel technique should be validated in a game prototype or test-bed, but need not be validated in a commercial game. Research Track papers are evaluated by the highest standards of academic rigor. The highest rated papers will be presented in short lecture format. The next highest rated group of papers will be presented in a poster session. Authors should submit a paper of no more than 6 pages in the AAAI format for double blind review (i.e., authors names and affiliations are omitted). All papers will be allocated 6 pages in the proceedings regardless of presentation format.

Industry Track
Individuals that have game development experience but lack the time or need for publishing rigorous academic papers can alternatively apply to the Industry Track. This track will include presentations of AI techniques, issues, or case studies from the perspective of implementing a product in the current commercial environment. Presentation proposals will be evaluated on their potential for conveying clearly elaborated ideas that have not been previously described to an adequate degree. Industry Track applicants should submit an extended abstract describing the content of the proposed talk that also includes one paragraph describing their game industry experience. An extended abstract of two pages is sufficient, although any length up to that of a full paper (6 pages) is acceptable. Abstracts will be published in the conference proceedings.

Example Topics (List is Suggestive Only)

Novel Solutions for Traditional Game AI Problems
Path planning, animation, camera control, tactical/strategic decision making, terrain analysis, opponent modeling, dynamic difficulty adjustment, player modeling, level of detail, scalability
AI Techniques applied to Games
Reinforcement learning, neural networks, Bayesian models, evolutionary computing, case-based reasoning, search, optimization
AI Supported Game Production and Authoring Tools
Behavior-building, cognitive modeling, telemetry-supported game design, content authoring support, scripting, sketch-based authoring
AI Storytelling in Games
Interactive drama, story generation, character development
Autonomous Characters, NPCs, and Virtual Humans
Personality, emotion, believability, natural language processing, learning, crowd simulation
Procedural Content Generation
Level generation, procedural game design, behavior adaptation
Commercial AI Implementations
Case studies, implementation analysis, comparative evaluations
Entertainment Robotics
Performing robots, animatronics, robotic art installations, human-robot interaction, social robotics
AI in Novel Entertainment Applications
Virtual/mixed reality, mobile device games, geo-location based games, human-computation games
Computational Creativity and Generative Art
Painting, poetry, story, humor, music
AI for Serious Games
Training, education, intelligent tutoring, advertising, recruiting, games for health, gamification
Submissions
Author Registration: Authors must register at the AIIDE-12 paper submission site before they submit their papers. The submission site (available March 31) will assign a password to be used for abstract and paper submission. Authors are encouraged to register as soon as possible, and well in advance of the submission deadline.

Paper Submission: Electronic abstract and paper submission through the AIIDE-12 paper submission site is required on or (preferably) before May 15. We cannot accept submissions by e-mail or fax.

All Research Track submissions must be in PDF format, no longer than 6 pages including references, and formatted in AAAI two-column, camera-ready style (see the author instructions page). All Research Track papers must be formatted for BLIND REVIEW with NO author or affiliation information listed.

Industry Track submissions must be submitted in PDF format and can be no longer than 6 pages including references. Papers should preferably be formatted in AAAI two-column, camera-ready style as above; however, Industry Track authors may submit their content in any reasonable format for review, and AIIDE will assign an editor to help meet publication formatting requirements for accepted work.

Research Track papers and Industry Track extended abstracts must be submitted by May 15, 2012. All accepted papers and extended abstracts will be published in the conference proceedings. At least one author must register for the conference by the deadline for camera-ready copy submission. As AIIDE is an academic conference, all attendees including presenters pay a registration fee. AIIDE-12 will not accept any paper that is under review for or has already been published or accepted for publication in another journal or conference.

DEMONSTRATIONS
We invite researchers and practitioners to share insights and cutting-edge results from a wide range of topics and encourage the demonstration of (a) research systems in the context of existing commercial games, (b) new games authored by researchers, (c) contributions demonstrating the adoption and/or extension of AI research results in published games, (d) completely new forms of interactive digital entertainment made possible by AI research, and (e) other relevant work. An electronic submission of a 2-page abstract and demonstration materials is required. Demonstration abstract review is not blind. Submissions should contain a link to the demonstration materials, which can take the form of a recorded demonstration session, an executable version of the demonstration with written instructions, or a detailed description of the demonstration heavily illustrated with screenshots. Please note that these materials are for review only and that all demonstrations will be conducted live at AIIDE-12. Demonstration authors should submit abstracts and materials by May 15, 2012. Submissions will be judged on technical merit, accessibility to developers and researchers, originality, presentation, and significance. Demonstration abstracts will be published in the conference proceedings.

WORKSHOPS
The AIIDE 2012 committee invites proposals for one-day workshops to be held on October 9 at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to meet and discuss issues with a selected focus — providing an informal setting for active exchange among researchers, developers, and users on topics of current interest. Members of all segments of the AI in Digital Entertainment community as well as industry researchers are encouraged to submit proposals. The format of workshops will be determined by their organizers. Organizers are highly encouraged to propose alternative formats beyond paper/poster presentations, and should encourage the submission and presentation of position papers that discuss new research ideas. Workshop papers will be published as technical reports and will be archived in the AAAI digital library. Proposals for workshops should be about two (2) to three (3) pages in length. Workshop chairs must submit their proposals via email to the workshops chair Santiago Ontañón Villar (santi@cs.drexel.edu) by Apr 2, 2012.

DOCTORAL CONSORTIUM
The AIIDE-12 will feature a Doctoral Consortium in which Ph.D. students will be invited to discuss and explore their research interests and career objectives with a panel of established researchers in AIIDE related fields. The consortium is intended primarily for Ph.D. students who have settled on their thesis direction and intend to pursue a career in academia and/or industrial research labs. The DC will be incorporated into the main AIIDE conference schedule. Ph.D. students selected for the Doctoral Consortium will have the opportunity to present their research proposals at the DC session and/or at the poster session. Additionally, each student will be paired with a mentor, a senior member of the AIIDE community. Applications to attend the Doctoral Consortium will include a 4-page research summary, curriculum vita, a 1-page document stating what they hope to gain from attending the Doctoral Consortium, and a letter of recommendation from the dissertation advisor. Application packages are due on July 24, 2012; see here for further details.

EXHIBITS
AIIDE-12 will have exhibit space available. Companies, publishers and other groups are encouraged to consider purchasing either a tabletop display or an exhibit booth. Exhibit space is limited and will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis. Please contact AAAI at aiide12@aaai.org for more information.

IMPORTANT DATES

March 31 – May 15, 2012: Authors register on the AIIDE web site
April 2, 2012: Workshop proposal submission
May 15, 2012: Electronic submission of Research/Industry Track papers/abstracts
May 15, 2012: Electronic submission of extended abstract for a demonstration
June 29, 2012: Notification of acceptance decision
July 24, 2012: Doctoral consortium submission
CONFERENCE CHAIR
Mark Riedl (Georgia Institute of Technology)

PROGRAM CHAIR
Gita Sukthankar (University of Central Florida)

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEE
Arnav Jhala (University of California, Santa Cruz)
Santiago Ontañón Villar (Drexel University)
Jichen Zhu (Drexel University)

STARCRAFT COMPETITION CHAIR
Michael Buro (University of Alberta)