MAGICS is an infrastructure network to support research into motion recording, and virtual environments. It is a joint effort of Aalto University, Tampere University and the University of the Arts Helsinki.
MAGICS Talks 2026: AI in scientific and artistic research
MAGICS is the national infrastructure for human in the digital world, and a community built around six academic nodes across Finland: Aalto University, Tampere University, Uniarts, University of Lapland, Turku University of Applied Sciences, and University of Jyväskylä. This event is part of the MAGICS Talks series organised at each MAGICS node annually.
In this event, we focus on the evolving relationship between digital technologies, human creativity, and data-driven understanding of our world. How do games and interactive technologies help us understand human behaviour and motivation? How can data and artificial intelligence help us analyse innovation and technological change? And what happens when these different perspectives meet in the emerging digital world?
In this event, we focus on the evolving relationship between digital technologies, human creativity, and data-driven understanding of our world. How do games and interactive technologies help us understand human behaviour and motivation? How can data and artificial intelligence help us analyse innovation and technological change? And what happens when these different perspectives meet in the emerging digital world?
Programme:
14.00 Opening words | Journalist Sonia Zaki, Uusi Juttu

14.05 AI for understanding human experiences: Examples from player research | Associate Professor Perttu Hämäläinen, Aalto University
14.25 Are We Losing the Signal in the Noise? | Dr. Arash Hajikhani and Data and Research Scientist Richard Schmidt, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
14.50 Panel discussion | Sonia Zaki, Perttu Hämäläinen, Arash Hajikhani and Richard Schmidt
15.10 Coffee and networking
15.30 Event ends
Audience can send their questions and comments to the panel via .
Speakers:
Perttu Hämäläinen is an Associate Professor of Computer Games at Aalto University and leads the Game Research Group. His research focuses on gameplay innovation, player experience, and the development of new tools and methods for game creation.
His work explores how digital games and interactive systems can better understand human behaviour, motivation, and emotion. Many of his projects investigate how technologies such as AI, procedural animation, and simulation can create new kinds of game experiences, especially in physically active games.
Dr. Arash Hajikhani is a Research Team Leader in the Foresight and Data Economy area at VTT and an Adjunct Professor at LUT University. His research focuses on innovation and technology management, especially on developing quantitative and data-driven methods for analysing science, technology, and innovations. He studies how new technologies emerge, how innovation ecosystems evolve, and how data can help us better understand and measure technological development.
Richard Schmidt is a Data and Research Scientist at VTT. His work explores the use of advanced computational methods to analyse complex datasets and uncover patterns in technological and social systems.
The MAGICS Talks are organised by the host universities of the MAGICS national infrastructure for human in the digital world. Please follow the for more details.
Marsio Stage events are tailored for simultaneous onsite and online participation. The venue has robotic cameras that cover the whole event area. Please note that the audience might appear in the live stream and recordings.
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