Global gaming supplier Aristocrat has joined as the latest founding member of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas International Gaming Institute’s (IGI) AI Research Hub.
The UNLV IGI unveiled the AiR Hub in May as an initiative that will focus on researching the impacts and risks of AI in gaming as well as encouraging collaboration between key stakeholders in the industry. The ultimate goal is to lead research to accelerate the adoption of trusted and responsible AI and machine learning in gaming.
The AiR Hub will be led by IGI Director of Research Kasra Ghaharian and gambling industry veteran and AiR Hub adjunct fellow Simo Dragicevic.
The IGI said that Aristocrat will contribute its extensive expertise to the institute’s industry advisory panel and support key research initiatives.
“We are thrilled to welcome Aristocrat to AiR Hub as a founding member,” said Ghaharian. “Having a global leader with Aristocrat’s scale, technological depth and commitment to innovation is a monumental step for this initiative. Its perspective will be invaluable as we work to create actionable research and practical tools for the industry.”
“As a leader in the gaming industry, we have a responsibility to uphold high standards of governance, and to positively impact our people, customers, and communities,” said Aristocrat Group General Manager of Responsible Gameplay Anastasios Dagkos. “Collaborating with IGI and others on AiR Hub presents an opportunity for us to contribute our industry expertise to the important conversation around AI and its application in gaming.”
It is still welcoming founding members for the next couple of months. Aristocrat joins several other members that have already signed up:
- Action Gaming
- Axes.ai
- Evoke
- Gaming Analytics
- Kindbridge Behavioral Health
- Playtech
- Responsible Online Gaming Association
- Walker Digital Table Systems
UNLV assesses State of AI in Gaming
The IGI debuted AiR Hub this spring as it prepares to assess AI’s use and potential through a State of AI in Gaming report, due to be published in spring 2026. The open-access report will incorporate data from diverse sources, including interviews with global stakeholders, surveys of industry and regulators and a systematic collection of quantitative public data.
“AI is giving the gaming industry a chance to rethink everything — from innovation and customer experience to responsible play,” said Ghaharian this week. “At its core, AI needs data. That whole interest in data-informed decision making is really what drives this. The insights we uncover now will shape the future for years to come.”
Dragicevic said that the first-of-its-kind report has the potential to become the pre-eminent expert resource on how AI is impacting the gaming industry.
“The gaming industry has the potential to leverage AI to create exciting and new entertainment experiences,” added Dragicevic. “But, to ensure it fully capitalizes, we need to raise the AI literacy of the industry, and we see the State of AI in Gaming report playing a key role in facilitating this.”
