Fighting for ethical data licensing with a human-centered approach.
Key takeawaysAI is here to stay. Human artistry is irreplaceable. Artists must get paid. |
How did we get here?
The story of audio is one of experimentation, evolution, and adaptation. There is a long list of technologies that have shaped and reshaped the way artists and engineers have interacted with sound over the past 100 years - like the phonograph, tape machine, synthesizer, sampler, and DAW - just to name a few. Similarly, it's clear that the technologies enabled by Artificial Intelligence may have a seismic impact on our industry, work, and creativity.
And while those 20th century breakthroughs mentioned above have brought about incredible efficiencies and changed some jobs along the way, they also enabled entirely new types of creativity that hadn't even been imagined previously. The drum machine didn't scorch the earth of drummers, but instead, artists like Aphex Twin and Frankie Knuckles used them to create entirely new genres of music - and even influence traditional drummers for generations moving forward.
At the same time, we recognize the complexity of navigating such potentially transformative changes in our field. With that in mind, we wanted to share some insight into how Pro Sound Effects is thoughtfully approaching AI.
Supporting human creativity
First and foremost, we are always interested in how new technologies can support the work of creative artists - not replace them. If there are ways that intelligent tools can reduce tedious tasks and afford us new creative possibilities, that aligns directly with PSE's purpose to help creators bring ideas to life through sound.
For over 20 years, we’ve been committed to supporting the sound community. This has taken many forms including developing libraries and tools that help sound artists work faster and more creatively, providing new income streams for our sound artist partners, supporting career development organizations like Real Industry, and employing a global network of editors, engineers, and recordists. That commitment is not going anywhere.
PSE has also been supporting the audio research community for decades. Many of the technologies that audio post production relies on, like noise reduction and dialogue isolation, have been made possible by machine learning and "AI" innovations trained on "noise" samples from Pro Sound Effects. We're proud of that legacy, and excited to continue working with these researchers to help power even more useful workflow tools.
"Experimenting with new techniques and processes is one of the things I love most as a sound designer. AI tools for audio post are still a grey area for me, and like a lot of people I do have many security and ethical concerns. However, AI is here and I’m interested in exploring the frontier and how it might fit into my creative process as a sound artist."
– Dave Whitehead, PSE Artist & Sound Designer (Dune: Part Two)
Advocating for the value of sound
The art and craft of sound should not be taken for granted. There are many recent examples of AI developers that eschew proper licensing by scraping data without permission. We even have to assume that our libraries have already been scraped and put to use in this manner (which we’ve taken steps to protect against both legally and technically).
As the world has started to see the possibilities of Generative AI, we’ve proactively invested significant time and energy in educating ourselves to understand the potential impacts - listening carefully to our community and industry, engaging with research leaders and academic institutions like MIT, and consulting with experts to examine legal and ethical challenges. Our focus has been on upholding the value of sound and fighting for fair sound effects licensing that ensures proper attribution and compensation for any audio data used in generative applications. Our work, support, and memberships with organizations like Fairly Trained, the Human Artistry Campaign, the Dataset Providers Alliance, the Copyright Alliance, and the Content Authenticity Initiative reflect these commitments, and underscore our dedication to the future of sound and the wellbeing of our artists, community, and the industry as a whole.
Embracing change with care
There are many ways AI might play out in the sound world. Some are excited by the new creative possibilities and time-saving tools. Some are concerned about its impact on the audio job market. Some expect sound library companies like us will become obsolete if any sound can be generated with the click of a button.
Sound effects are not sound designers. Our understanding is that AI will not supplant human artistry or the expertise of skilled sound artists. And we expect that there will always be a need for fresh recordings captured by humans with intent for creative use. That’s because we deeply believe in the power of sound to create emotion and tell stories. As humans, our connection to sound is profound and unique - putting us in an irreplaceable role that technology simply cannot replicate. While AI can enhance workflows and generate variations, it lacks the intuition, emotional depth, and creative vision that only human artistry brings to sound design. Sound is a core part of the human experience, and it takes a skilled artist to craft the immersive, evocative soundscapes that truly resonate with audiences.
For professionals and aspiring professionals alike, it is likely that the tools will continue to change, as they always have throughout the history of audio. While we can't predict or control the trajectory of AI, we can remain committed to providing tools and resources that help sound artists do their jobs better. We believe the best path forward is to embrace these new tools while staying true to our values. AI is here to stay, and its capabilities will only expand. Our goal is to keep pace with these advancements, ensuring that the future of sound design continues to serve our community and human creativity. Ultimately, we feel that sound design workflows will improve with AI as a “creative co-pilot” - so we’re shaping our approach to support this vision through thoughtful AI partnerships.
As members of 1% for the Planet since 2018, the environmental impact of AI is a concern as well. We will be exploring ways to minimize and offset our own impact as part of our commitment.
"Human creativity is the foundation of AI’s existence. As AI empowers more people to create and express themselves in ways never before possible, we must always respect, protect, elevate, and reward the artists that have and continue to make new forms of creation possible."
– Douglas Price, Pro Sound Effects Founder & CEO
Exploring the possibilities ahead
We are open to working with AI companies that (1) empower human creativity through ethical, creative AI, and (2) are committed to legally licensing the datasets they train on. We're working together with our colleagues in the sound community to uphold the value of the work that sound artists contribute to our libraries. It will always be a priority to help our artists earn more income and fund future creative recording projects.
AI will also be used in many ways to help create better experiences for our customers throughout the PSE platform. This includes new AI-assisted search capabilities within SoundQ and our website, making our product documentation and customer support more streamlined and accessible, and much more.
We're excited by the possibilities ahead, and we’re committed to exploring them thoughtfully and to the benefit of sound artistry, always.
