Junyi Zeng

Junyi’s PhD research explores how generative AI shapes sound design as a creative and collaborative practice. As generative technologies introduce new ways of producing sonic material, they also raise questions about how creative intentions are expressed, how sounds are interpreted and refined, and how creative control is negotiated. The research approaches sound design as a situated process in which ideas develop through listening, experimentation, and interactions between people, tools, and the environments in which sound is experienced.

Situated within human-computer interaction and design research, the project investigates the relationship between AI-generated material and the practices through which it becomes meaningful and usable. It considers how practitioners incorporate generative AI into established workflows, how people with different forms of expertise communicate and develop sound ideas together, and how creative tools can support exploration while preserving agency. Game sound production provides a central context for this inquiry, bringing together sound’s expressive qualities, its responsiveness to interaction, and the collaborative demands of production.

Methodologically, the research combines studies of professional practice, prototype development, and collaborative workshops. These activities inform an iterative process of understanding existing practices and exploring possibilities for future tools. The work pays particular attention to how creative intentions evolve as sounds are generated, shared, edited, and experienced in context, and how these changes shape what people need from AI.

The research contributes empirical insights and design guidance for creativity support tools that connect generative capabilities with the wider processes of creative work. Findings on professional workflows and practitioners’ requirements for AI integration have been published at ACM Creativity & Cognition 2026. Ongoing work extends this inquiry into collaborative sound design, examining how AI can support shared exploration and the development of sonic ideas into interactive experiences.