🤖 AI Summary
This study addresses a significant misalignment between current AI tools and the needs of practitioners in high-level narrative sound design. Employing a mixed-methods approach—combining 76 survey responses with semi-structured interviews of 20 industry professionals—the research systematically examines the current applications, challenges, and expectations surrounding AI in sound design workflows. From the perspective of sound designers, the study identifies five core themes for AI integration: context, workflow, potential, risks, and appropriate use, offering concrete design recommendations for developers. Findings indicate that while existing AI tools are effective for rapid, disposable audio tasks, they lack the narrative depth required for cinematic and immersive experiences. Practitioners express a clear preference for task-oriented, assistive AI systems over end-to-end generative solutions.
📝 Abstract
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being integrated into professional audio production workflows, yet a gap persists between the tools developers produce and the requirements of practising sound designers. This paper investigates this gap through a mixed-methods study comprising a survey of 76 practitioners and follow-up semi-structured interviews with 20 industry professionals. Results were analysed using descriptive statistical analysis and thematic analysis to identify patterns across both datasets. Five themes emerged from our analysis: Context, Workflow, Potential, Risks, and Right Use. Our work indicates that current AI tools perform adequately in fast-consumption media contexts but lack the narrative sophistication required for high-end sound design (films, immersive experiences etc). Practitioners demonstrate a preference for assistive, task-specific applications, particularly in audio restoration and library management, over end-to-end generative systems. This work contributes to the on-going discussion on the use of AI and AI-enhanced tools in the creative industries. We report on the current status of the field from the point of view of sound designers and creative audio practitioners, and offer a set of recommendation for sound technologist and developers based on our findings to guide the development of more informed AI tools for sound design.