# Dr. Luke Dicken Joins Layer's Board of Advisors Author: [Volkan Gurel](https://layer.ai/authors/volkan) | Published: 2026-09-01 Tags: news > The Layer team is thrilled to welcome Dr. Luke Dicken to our Board of Advisors — a researcher, builder, and gaming industry leader who was driving AI innovation in games long before it was “cool”. --- **The Layer team is thrilled to welcome Dr. Luke Dicken to our Board of Advisors. A researcher, builder, and gaming industry leader who led many AI innovations in games before it was “cool”.** Luke's credentials speak for themselves: four degrees in AI, including a PhD dissertation that had to be titled "Simulated Virtual Worlds" because, back then, his university wasn't quite ready to put the word *"Games"* on a doctoral diploma. If that doesn't tell you everything you need to know about how far ahead of the curve he was, the next 15 years certainly will. Over that time, Luke shaped what modern gaming AI looks like. He spent a decade driving studio innovation at Zynga, then stepped into the role of Head of AI at Take-Two Interactive, one of the most storied publishers in the business. In between, he gave back — serving seven years as Chair of the IGDA Foundation, supporting the next generation of game industry talent. Luke isn't just a veteran. He's someone who has lived through the hype cycles, built through them, and come out the other side with a clear-eyed view of where AI actually creates value for studios and where it doesn't. That perspective is exactly what Layer needs right now. > *"I'm excited to work more directly with the Layer team, over the years that I've known them, they've consistently been thinking about this the right way. The real opportunity isn't AI for AI's sake. It's about finding where studios can genuinely innovate, where efficiency gains are real, and where they can differentiate themselves in finding the fun."* > > — **Dr. Luke Dicken** Luke joins us as we enter our next phase of growth: moving beyond the noise and delivering real, measurable impact across user acquisition, live ops and game production for studios of all sizes. His track record and his refusal to mistake hype for progress makes him exactly the kind of voice we want in our corner. At Layer, we believe the studios that win won't be the ones who adopted AI earliest. They'll be the ones who adopted it *smartest*. Luke has been living that thesis since before it was a thesis. We couldn't be more fired up to build together. *Welcome to the team, Luke. 🎮* --- [View original](https://layer.ai/blog/dr-luke-dicken-joins-layers-board-of-advisors) | [All posts](https://layer.ai/blog)