A June 22, 2026 Metacreation Lab newsletter landed in my email box and here are some of the items that caught my attention,
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Philippe Pasquier Presents at SIAT [School of Interactive Arts and Technology] Graduate Research Colloquium Speaker Series
In February [2026], Metacreation Lab Director Dr. Philippe Pasquier was invited as one of the opening speakers for the SIAT Graduate Research Colloquium Spring Speaker Series. Hosted by the School of Interactive Arts and Technology at Simon Fraser University, the series brings together researchers and students to engage critically with emerging technologies and their broader cultural and social implications.
Philippe Pasquier Presents Laser Talk at Texas A&M University
Dr. Philippe Pasquier recently delivered a Laser [Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous Talk at Texas A&M University, exploring the artistic and aesthetic foundations of the Metacreation Lab’s work in creative AI. The talk situated contemporary generative AI within the broader histories of generative art and practice-led research, highlighting the diversity of AI approaches that extend beyond the current focus on large-scale commercial models.
The presentation was followed by an interdisciplinary discussion with faculty and students from across the arts and humanities, covering topics such as creativity, authorship, and the evolving role of AI in artistic practice.
New Mitacs Project Explores AI for Interactive Music Generation
The Metacreation Lab has launched a new Mitacs-funded research collaboration with Audiokinetic, the creators of the widely used Wwise interactive audio platform. Led by Metacreation Lab’s Master’s student Paul Triana under the supervision of Dr. Philippe Pasquier, the project explores new AI-driven workflows for adaptive music in video games and interactive media.
The research will develop a generative music pipeline that combines automatic music transcription, symbolic music generation, and neural audio synthesis to create seamless musical transitions and variations. By leveraging the lab’s recent advances in symbolic music AI, including MIDI-GPT, the project aims to provide composers and developers with more flexible and controllable tools for creating responsive soundtracks.
The collaboration will investigate how AI can support, rather than replace, human creativity, enabling richer interactive musical experiences while reducing production barriers for game developers and digital artists.
Mitacs-Funded Research Examines AI for Type 2 Diabetes Management
Researchers at the Metacreation Lab, in collaboration with Vancouver-based QiiQ Inc., have completed a Mitacs-funded scoping review investigating the current state of AI in consumer-facing mobile health applications for Type 2 diabetes management. The project, led by Metacreation Lab’s PhD student Dhruv Adhia with collaborators Dave Brown (QiiQ’s CEO) and Dr. Philippe Pasquier, analyzed 1,569 records across seven academic databases, ultimately synthesizing findings from 17 studies.
The review identified six major AI capability domains, including clinical decision support systems, AI-assisted dietary management, conversational AI, behavioural interventions, continuous glucose monitoring with AI coaching, and wearable sensor analytics. Across controlled studies, AI-supported interventions demonstrated meaningful improvements in diabetes management outcomes, including reductions in HbA1c levels.
The findings provide an evidence-based overview of which AI capabilities are currently demonstrating clinical value and which remain promising opportunities for future translation into consumer health products. The manuscript has completed supervisor review and is currently being prepared for journal submission.
Philippe Pasquier Discusses AI Literacy Beyond Polarization
Dr. Philippe Pasquier recently presented AI Literacy Beyond Polarization as part of the symposium Teaching AI: Art & Design Education Under Automation, organized by The Ohio State University.
The talk explored alternatives to the increasingly polarized debates surrounding generative AI, arguing for greater awareness of the diversity of creative AI approaches. Drawing on research and development at the Metacreation Lab, Philippe highlighted approaches centred on small data, model crafting, local and open-source tools, direct manipulation, and human-centred co-creation.
The presentation also featured Autolume, demonstrating how artists can train, adapt, and perform with their own generative models using small datasets and accessible workflows. The talk is now available online as part of the symposium’s public lecture series.
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For anyone who’d like to receive the entire June 2026 newsletter, go to the Metacreation Lab contact page to subscribe. You can find older newsletters here at https://www.metacreation.net/previous-newsletters/.
For those who are curious about Leonardo and Mitacs, First, I have a little more. Leonardo, from the About page,
Fearlessly pioneering since 1968, Leonardo serves as THE community forging a transdisciplinary network to convene, research, collaborate, and disseminate best practices at the nexus of arts, science and technology worldwide. Leonardo’ serves a network of transdisciplinary scholars, artists, scientists, technologists and thinkers, who experiment with cutting-edge, new approaches, practices, systems and solutions to tackle the most complex challenges facing humanity today.
As a not-for-profit 501(c)3 enterprising think tank, Leonardo offers a global platform for creative exploration and collaboration reaching tens of thousands of people across 135 countries. Our flagship publication, Leonardo, the world’s leading scholarly journal on transdisciplinary art, anchors a robust publishing partnership with MIT Press; our partnership with ASU infuses educational innovation with digital art and media for lifelong learning; our creative programs span thought-provoking events, exhibits, residencies and fellowships, scholarship and social enterprise ventures.
I believe the inspiration for the name is Leonardo da Vinci.
Mitacs has this in its Wikipedia entry, Note: Links have been removed,
Mitacs is a nonprofit national research organization that, in partnerships with Canadian academia, private industry and government, operates research and training programs in fields related to industrial and social innovation.[1][2]
History
Mitacs was founded by Canadian mathematicians in 1999. The organization, whose name originally stood for “Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems”, worked in the field of mathematical sciences and associated disciplines but has since expanded. In 2004, the Mitacs Accelerate program was launched[3] and has since supported over 10,000 internships nationally.[4][5][6]
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So, they’ve gone from a mathematics network to industrial and social innovation.
The type 2 diabetes management project featuring QiiQ and Dave brown yielded a ‘narrative’ surprise, from the QiiQ Health About page,
Pioneering the narrative-led approach to metabolic health and diabetes reversal. We believe health shouldn’t be a subtraction game, but a journey of discovery.
Redefining care through storytelling
At QiiQ Health, we understand that behavioral change is hard. Traditional approaches often rely on willpower and deprivation, which rarely lead to lasting results.
That’s why we created the Quest Loop. By combining engaging storytelling with an emotionally resonant experience, we help you observe your health journey from a new perspective—one where you are the protagonist overcoming challenges, guided by experts and data.
CEO & Co-Founder
DAVE BROWN
Trained as an engineer, I spent my early career believing that logic and code could solve anything. But I’ve come to realize that the “Era of the Engineer” is closing. We are entering a new phase: The Era of the Artist.
My mission has always been to solve problems that cause human suffering. For years, I looked to technology for the fix. But in our ailing healthcare system, I’ve seen tech-driven solutions fall short because they lack a critical ingredient: humanity. True transformation won’t happen from within the system—it must come from the outside, led by patients themselves. Real change requires more than just better math; it requires novel, empathetic thinking. It is time for the engineers to step back and let the artists step forward.Now, with AI beginning to change the world at lightspeed, we must carefully consider what we are ready to tolerate as people. And if we haven’t reached it already, we will soon confront a moment of truth – are we going to stay in charge of our destiny?
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The Era of the Artist? Interesting approach; I hope it’s successful and adopted.
The last one I’ve explored is Audiokinetic and it doesn’t present any real surprises, from its Wikipedia entry, Note: Links have been removed,
Audiokinetic Inc. is a Canadian software company based in Montreal, Quebec[3] that develops audio software for the video game industry. Its main product is Wwise audio authoring software. On January 8, 2019, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that they had acquired the company.[4]
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More usually it’s a US company that does the acquiring, this time it was the Japanese multinational conglomerate, Sony.