Kyoto Tachibana University Hosts Special Lecture by Game AI Pioneer Yoichiro Miyake

On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, a special lecture by Yoichiro Miyake, a leading pioneer in game AI and a visiting professor at the university, was held as part of the 'Introduction to Robotics' course (Department of Engineering, taught by Professor Hitoshi Matsubara). Approximately 70 people, including first-year students of the Robotics Department and graduate students, attended the lecture.

Robotics is an academic field comprising various elements such as AI, information, machinery, electrical/electronics, human-robot interaction, and social implementation. This course aims to help students think about the role of robotics in contemporary society. Consequently, students learn about the basic structure of robots, the mechanisms of perception, action, and decision-making, and their relationships with diverse fields such as industry, services, and entertainment.

Professor Miyake, who took the podium, has been involved in both the research and implementation of artificial intelligence in digital games at the forefront of the field. During the lecture, he introduced actual digital game cases to show how AI determines character actions and decision-making, and how it can entertain players based on their skill levels.

Furthermore, he discussed the commonalities between character design thinking in virtual spaces and brain design for robots in the real world, exploring the intersection of game AI and robotics research.

After the lecture, active question-and-answer sessions took place, with students asking about how to give personalities to character AI and reinforcement learning.

The university plans to continue providing opportunities for students to learn about the link between cutting-edge knowledge and real society through lectures by leading researchers and practitioners.