Hearing loss: AI devices should pass cool aid test

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The first sign of age-related hearing loss is straining to hear fellow guests at social gatherings. The second is when your kids say you play music too loud rather than the other way round.

Here, amid all the noise about artificial intelligence, is one application where the potential of the technology is clear as a bell: helping people hear better.

About 40 per cent of people over the age of 50 have some form of hearing loss. But hearing aids are unpopular. Only 35 per cent of people in developed countries who need them buy them, according to Bernstein research.

One reason is that many hearing aids are visible close up. There have been sporadic attempts to make them cool, including singer Morrissey rocking the look in the eighties. But wearing one can still feel like an admission that age is catching up with you.

The other reason is that the capabilities of the devices themselves are limited. A fifth of would-be users return hearing aids to retailers after a trial period. Some complain the devices seem to amplify everyone except the person they are talking to. 

AI could provide a solution. Its capacity for learning should help new hearing devices pick out the dulcet tones of a relative or colleague amid seas of sound. The technology may also be able to fill in “dropouts” — words and syllables that go missing due to a weak signal during phone or video calls.

Today, hearing aid manufacturers including Demant and Sonova share a $6.5bn market. Retailers, led by Italy’s Amplifon with a 12 per cent share, have a combined $18bn in revenues. The market is growing at 3-5 per cent a year, as populations age.

It is a moot question whether established hearing aid businesses will benefit from AI. They may be leapfrogged by the incorporation of the technology into other devices, as satnav makers were.

The 800lb gorillas are already moving in. Google is partnering with Australia’s Cochlear and other healthcare businesses to develop AI-powered aids. There are constant rumours Apple may turn the next generation of AirPods into over-the-counter hearing devices.

Adding hearing enhancement to the capabilities of earbuds and headphones would be a smart move if technology permits. These are widely worn by people of all ages. In noisy urban environments, even people with perfect ears sometimes need to pick out conversations better.

The Lex team is interested in hearing more from readers. Please tell us how you think AI could enhance human capabilities in the comments section below