From Video Games to the Classroom: Michael Curtin on Translating AI for Higher Education

In this episode of the Smarter Campus Podcast, host Zach Kinzler sits down with Michael Curtin, Innovation Coordinator and Adjunct Faculty in Informatics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.Michael’s path is anything but ordinary — moving between the worlds of video game development and academia, he’s built a rare perspective on how to bridge creativity, technology, and education.Together, Zach and Michael explore how the skills that make great game designers — experimentation, iteration, and imagination — are exactly what higher education needs to navigate the AI era.In this episode, you’ll hear about:How Michael’s work in video games naturally led him to AI innovationWhy universities need “translators” who can bridge technical and non-technical communitiesThe expectation problem — why people think AI should act like every other programWhat makes ChatGPT 3.5 a turning point for higher educationHow AI can serve as a “thought partner” for rapid ideation and creative explorationThe importance of managing hype while embracing potentialMichael’s story shows that the future of education isn’t just about adopting new tools — it’s about rethinking how we connect creativity, communication, and technology across disciplines.