What do you think of when you hear the term “artificial intelligence” (AI)? Many people think of something out of a sci-fi movie, but the truth is you probably already use devices equipped with AI. One of those devices might be your hearing aid. Below we review how hearing aids can use AI to help you hear more easily.
What Is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial intelligence is defined as the ability for a machine to simulate human intelligence and perform tasks that require intelligent decision-making. Machines that utilize AI are able to make these decisions by following a set of predetermined rules that they’ve been programmed to follow.
How Do Hearing Aids Use AI?
Hearing aids were once relatively simple devices that just amplified incoming sounds, making them louder to compensate for a loss of hearing. But once technology known as wide dynamic range compression “WDRC” was introduced, hearing aids began to make decisions based on what they heard.
Now, AI listens to the sounds in your environment and responds accordingly, essentially mimicking how the brain would hear sounds if you didn’t suffer from hearing loss. It also takes your individual hearing needs into account. Different sensors in the devices act like sensory organs for AI programs.
In practice, this means that if you’re enjoying a birthday party and want to have a conversation with the birthday person, your hearing aids can take in the complex sound scene, scan and extract the important sounds and reduce distracting background noise. The result is clean and ideally-balanced sound that is delivered to your ears.
Would You Benefit from Hearing Aids with AI?
Hearing aid features vary widely based on what model you get, and not all of today’s devices have AI capabilities.
If you’re wondering whether you would benefit from hearing aids with AI, consider the following question: Do you live an active lifestyle and find yourself in demanding listening situations often? If the answer is yes, you may benefit from hearing aids with AI capabilities. If you answered no, you may not benefit from this feature.
For more information or to schedule an appointment with a hearing aid expert, call Advanced Hearing today.