Immersive Media & AI Testing: Information Technology Standards – November 2025

November 2025 brings crucial advancements to the world of Information Technology, with the publication of three new international standards that are set to influence the immersive media and artificial intelligence sectors. As businesses explore richer multimedia experiences and deploy intelligent systems across domains, these updated standards provide the foundation to ensure interoperability, quality, and reliability. Professionals in IT, engineering, quality management, and compliance will find critical guidance for developing, testing, and implementing next-generation audio and AI solutions.

Overview

The Information Technology sector is rapidly transforming, driven by immersive media experiences, virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR), and the accelerated integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in business processes. Robust international standards not only underpin technical interoperability but also build global trust in these rapidly developing technologies.

This article covers the three most recent standards published in November 2025 for the Information Technology field:

• ISO/IEC 23090-34:2025: Immersive audio reference software for the MPEG-I standard
• ISO/IEC 23090-4:2025: Core requirements and bitstream syntax for MPEG-I immersive audio
• ISO/IEC TS 42119-2:2025: Comprehensive approach to testing AI systems

Read on to discover the technical scope, key requirements, and real-world impact of each standard, along with actionable compliance advice for your organization.

Detailed Standards Coverage

ISO/IEC 23090-34:2025 – Immersive Audio Reference Software

Information technology – Coded representation of immersive media – Part 34: Immersive audio reference software

This new standard introduces simulation and reference software for the MPEG-I immersive audio standard (defined in ISO/IEC 23090-4). It acts as an essential implementation resource, helping developers, manufacturers, and researchers validate their solutions’ compliance with the MPEG-I immersive audio specification.

The reference software includes:

• Bitstream decoding
• Real-time rendering for immersive audio
• Software for verifying interoperability and conformance

Scope and Application: The standard is intended for software engineers, multimedia system designers, codec implementers, universities, and test laboratories. Anyone working on the creation, decoding, or playback of immersive audio experiences—such as those found in VR/AR, next-gen video games, or cinematic applications—should use this standard as a benchmark.

Key Requirements and Specifications:

• Adherence to the MPEG-I immersive audio standard (ISO/IEC 23090-4)
• Reliable bitstream decoding for 6DoF (six degrees of freedom) audio scenes
• Test vectors and output reference for conformance

Practical Implications:

• Speeds up product development through reliable reference code
• Improves interoperability across platforms
• Reduces risk of non-compliance or incompatibility in the supply chain

Notable Changes:

• First edition dedicated specifically to reference software supporting the MPEG-I immersive audio ecosystem

Key highlights:

• Provides a validated reference implementation for the MPEG-I immersive audio bitstream
• Facilitates rapid prototyping and testing
• Essential for certification and product benchmarking

Access the full standard:View ISO/IEC 23090-34:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO/IEC 23090-4:2025 – MPEG-I Immersive Audio

Information technology – Coded representation of immersive media – Part 4: MPEG-I immersive audio

This foundational standard specifies the core codec technology, metadata structure, and bitstream syntax for real-time rendering of immersive audio in VR/AR and advanced multimedia experiences. It allows users six degrees of freedom in navigating audio scenes, enabling applications across entertainment, simulation, and professional audio production.

What This Standard Covers:

• Definition of MPEG-I immersive audio and its capabilities
• Bitstream syntax for efficient storage and streaming
• Detailed metadata support to model real-world acoustic effects (reflections, occlusion, reverberation, diffraction, etc.)
• Renderer and spatializer framework to accommodate speaker arrays, personal devices (like headphones), and special playback environments

Key Requirements and Specifications:

• Interactive real-time audio rendering for VR, AR, and 3D environments
• Support for both object-based and scene-based audio elements
• 6DoF listener navigation (x, y, z position plus yaw, pitch, roll)
• Efficient encoding for streaming and scalable storage

Who Needs to Comply: This standard applies to:

• Audio technology developers
• Content creators and production studios
• Streaming platform providers
• VR/AR application vendors
• Device manufacturers (AV/VR headsets, immersive speaker systems)

Practical Implications:

• Allows audience and end users to move freely within highly realistic, interactive audio scenes
• Ensures hardware and content interoperability globally
• Accelerates rollout of VR/AR solutions with consistent acoustic environments

Notable Changes:

• Expands upon previous MPEG-H efforts for immersive, interactive audio with higher fidelity and flexibility
• Enhanced metadata and scene modeling for advanced spatial effects

Key highlights:

• Defines a global standard for next-gen immersive and interactive audio
• Supports both VR and AR, as well as hybrid experiences
• Enables 3D audio rendering with dynamic listener movement

Access the full standard:View ISO/IEC 23090-4:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO/IEC TS 42119-2:2025 – Overview of Testing AI Systems

Artificial intelligence – Testing of AI – Part 2: Overview of testing AI systems

AI systems bring unique challenges to traditional software testing. This technical specification delivers comprehensive guidance on applying the ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 suite to the testing of AI systems, adopting a risk-based approach. It bridges the gap between general software testing practices and the unique risks posed by AI algorithms, models, and data-driven approaches.

Scope and Application: The specification targets all organizations developing, deploying, or validating AI solutions, including:

• AI/ML engineers and data scientists
• Quality assurance teams
• Risk managers and compliance officers
• Procurement and supply chain specialists dealing with AI-based solutions

Key Requirements & Specifications:

• Detailed overview of the AI system lifecycle, functional views, and stakeholder considerations
• Guidance on identifying and mitigating risks (e.g., bias, drift, explainability, data quality) associated with AI systems
• Mapping of conventional and specialist test approaches (static testing, unit/integration testing, exploratory testing)
• Documentation best practices per ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119
• Risk-based test case selection and prioritization

Practical Implications:

• Reduces risk of undetected failures in AI deployments
• Promotes transparency, explainability, and fairness in AI system outputs
• Delivers a clear framework for procurement and contract specification on tested, validated AI

Notable Changes:

• Contextualizes software testing standards for AI, including latest best practices for neural networks, machine learning pipelines, and hybrid expert systems

Key highlights:

• Applies internationally recognized software testing frameworks to AI
• Emphasizes risk identification and mitigation
• Offers templates and examples for AI test documentation

Access the full standard:View ISO/IEC TS 42119-2:2025 on iTeh Standards

Industry Impact & Compliance

The publication of these three standards will significantly influence how businesses develop, validate, and deploy immersive media and AI-driven solutions. Compliance is essential for organizations to:

• Ensure product interoperability, particularly in global markets
• Facilitate rapid onboarding of new audio and AI technologies while minimizing technical and business risk
• Demonstrate due diligence to customers, regulators, and partners in deploying secure, reliable, and explainable solutions

Compliance Considerations and Timelines:

• Organizations deploying immersive media must ensure their hardware and software implement both the bitstream syntax (ISO/IEC 23090-4) and validate against the reference software (ISO/IEC 23090-34).
• AI solution providers and integrators should update their testing frameworks and documentation to follow ISO/IEC TS 42119-2:2025 for upcoming procurement cycles and regulatory reviews.
• Early adoption is recommended to avoid bottlenecks in certification, integration, and security vetting.

Benefits of Adopting These Standards:

• Reduced cost of integration and support
• Enhanced reputation through standards-based product development
• Avoidance of costly recalls or post-deployment fixes due to interoperability issues
• Readiness for future audits and evolving compliance environments

Risks of Non-Compliance:

• Product or service may be rejected in regulated or standards-driven procurement
• Operational incompatibilities with new devices and services in immersive or AI-enabled environments
• Increased exposure to critical failures, bias, or explainability-related incidents in AI systems

Technical Insights

Common Technical Requirements

Across these newly published standards, several technical themes emerge:

• Interoperability: All immersive audio solutions should ensure compatibility with the MPEG-I audio ecosystem—achieved by strict conformance to bitstream syntax and decoder behavior.
• Reference Implementation: Using ISO/IEC 23090-34’s software as a baseline minimizes regression errors and ensures testing is meaningful and consistent.
• Metadata Handling: Robust metadata modeling is critical for rendering real-world audio phenomena and orchestrating 6DoF interactions.
• Risk-Based Testing: For AI, understanding inherent model and data risks (such as bias and drift) and designing tests accordingly is vital for safety and credibility.

Implementation Best Practices

• Adopt the provided reference software as part of your development and certification pipeline for immersive audio products.
• Build test cases not only for bitstream decoding but also for complex interactions, such as simultaneous AR/VR rendering and multi-device synchronization.
• For AI, leverage risk assessment and static/dynamic testing of the ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 family, adapted specifically for AI pipeline stages.
• Document testing outcomes with traceability, in line with the new guidelines, to support internal reviews and external audits.

Testing & Certification Considerations

• Maintain separation between training, validation, and test datasets for AI to avoid data leakage, as guided in ISO/IEC TS 42119-2:2025.
• Engage with conformance testing programs at an early stage to identify interoperability or quality issues ahead of commercial launch.
• Prepare for evolving requirements—future amendments may further fine-tune performance measures, metadata, or risk management for cutting-edge AI and immersive tools.

Conclusion / Next Steps

The November 2025 updates to the Information Technology international standards portfolio set new benchmarks for immersive media and artificial intelligence systems. Whether you are a developer of next-generation audio hardware, a solutions architect for immersive experiences, or a quality manager overseeing AI deployment, these standards will be central to your success.

Key Takeaways:

• Adopting ISO/IEC 23090-4 and 23090-34 ensures that your immersive audio products are interoperable, ready for global distribution, and future-proof.
• Aligning with ISO/IEC TS 42119-2 provides a solid framework for trustworthy, explainable, and rigorously tested AI systems.

Recommendations for Organizations:

1. Review current and planned projects for conformance gaps to these new standards.
2. Integrate the reference software and test frameworks into your workflows for immersive and AI system development.
3. Stay engaged with standards development bodies and track future revisions to keep your organization at the forefront.

Looking to stay ahead? Explore the full standards linked above, consult with standards experts, and monitor iTeh Standards (https://standards.iteh.ai) for the latest industry guidance. Your commitment to compliance will ensure quality, innovation, and operational excellence in the information technology landscape.