In Part 1, we looked at what AI is actually doing inside modern hearing aids and why some of the biggest improvements are being seen in one of the areas people have struggled with for years:
Following conversations when other people and noise are around you.
But knowing that a hearing aid “uses AI” still does not tell you very much.
Because they are not all doing the same thing.
Almost every major hearing aid manufacturer now talks about AI, machine learning or neural networks. Some systems are particularly focused on separating speech from background noise. Others concentrate on following several people in a group conversation, preserving a natural sense of the room around you, adapting to movement, or combining AI with highly directional microphone systems.
So the next question becomes:
Does one approach suit you better than another?
Are all “AI hearing aids” doing the same thing?
Not at all — and this is where the label can become confusing.
Most of the major manufacturers now use some form of AI or machine learning, but they do not all use it in exactly the same way.
For example, Oticon uses AI-based processing with the aim of giving the wearer access to important speech while still preserving the surrounding sounds that provide context, rather than simply trying to strip the environment away.
Phonak has taken a different approach with dedicated processing for difficult speech-in-noise situations, designed to separate and enhance speech coming from around the listener.
Signia has placed particular emphasis on moving group conversations, where several people may be talking and changing position rather than remaining directly in front of you.
ReSound combines AI-based sound processing with a multi-microphone system, using information about both where sound is coming from and what that sound appears to be.
Starkey uses AI for speech and noise processing but also extends its AI platform into other areas such as connectivity and health-related features.
Widex has traditionally placed a strong emphasis on maintaining a natural sound quality and now combines this with AI-based options that can provide additional help when listening in noise.
There is quite a bit more complexity behind each of those systems, of course, but the important point is that AI is not one single feature that every manufacturer has simply added to its hearing aids.
They are trying to solve the same problems in somewhat different ways.
And this is exactly why asking:
“Which hearing aid has the best AI?”
is not necessarily the most useful question.
The better question is:
“Which approach is most likely to help with the situations I personally struggle with?”
So which one is best?
There genuinely is not one answer.
Someone who spends a lot of time in restaurants and large social groups may place speech-in-noise performance very high on their list.
Someone else might spend most of their time in quieter environments and care far more about natural sound quality, music, tinnitus features, rechargeable battery life or phone connectivity.
Another person may have reduced dexterity and need something that is simply easy to handle.
One person may need excellent connectivity with an iPhone. Another may use Android. Someone else may not want their hearing aids connected to a phone at all.
And, importantly, two people with apparently similar hearing test results can have quite different experiences of the same hearing aid.
This is one of the reasons independence matters to us.
Holistic Hearing Solutions is not owned by a hearing aid manufacturer, so we do not begin the conversation with:
“Which model from our brand can we sell you?”
We can look across manufacturers, compare the different approaches and work backwards from the problems you actually want solved.
Does newer always mean better?
Not necessarily.
This is where the marketing around hearing aids can sometimes make things unnecessarily confusing.
A newer hearing aid may contain considerably more processing power and some very clever technology. But that does not automatically mean every person will hear significantly better with it.
If you spend most of your time having conversations one-to-one in quiet environments, you may not need the same level of technology as somebody who regularly attends restaurants, meetings, community groups and large family gatherings.
And if your existing hearing aids are working well for you, there is no need to replace them simply because the latest model has AI written on the box.
The extra technology needs to solve a problem that actually exists in your life.
What about the Australian Government Hearing Services Program?
Eligible clients under the Australian Government Hearing Services Program have access to both fully subsidised and partially subsidised hearing devices.
Some hearing aids with more advanced features may be available as partially subsidised devices, where the Government contributes and the client pays the remaining gap.
Importantly, fully subsidised does not mean “bad hearing aid”.
There are many very capable devices available through the Program.
Whether paying a gap for additional technology makes sense should depend on your hearing needs, your listening environments and whether those additional features are likely to make a meaningful difference to you.
We are a contracted service provider under the Australian Government Hearing Services Program and can explain what options and costs apply to you.
So should you get “the AI hearing aids”?
Maybe.
If your current hearing aids are working well and you are comfortable in the situations that matter to you, there is absolutely no reason to replace them simply because something newer has AI written on the box.
But if you regularly find yourself saying:
“I hear fine one-to-one, but put me in a restaurant and I’m lost.”
or
“I can hear everyone talking, but I can’t separate one voice from the others.”
or
“Family gatherings are exhausting because I’m concentrating so hard just to keep up.”
then I think the newer generation of technology is worth a conversation.
Not because it is called AI.
Because this is one area where hearing-aid technology is starting to address the problem people have been asking us to solve for years.
Frequenty asked questions
Does my hearing aid learn about me over time?
The main neural network used to recognise speech and noise is generally trained by the manufacturer before the hearing aid reaches you.
Some hearing aids and apps can also learn or remember your personal adjustments and listening preferences, but that is a separate form of personalisation.
Will an AI hearing aid understand words for me?
No.
It can make speech easier to access by separating it more effectively from competing noise, but your auditory system and brain still have to interpret the speech.
This is why outcomes also depend on your type of hearing loss, speech discrimination, the listening environment and how accurately the hearing aid has been fitted.
Does AI in hearing aids mean my conversations are being sent somewhere?
The main real-time sound processing happens inside the hearing aid itself.
However, companion apps and optional online services differ between manufacturers and may collect usage or account information depending on the features and privacy settings you use.
If privacy is important to you, ask us. We can look at those settings with you rather than simply assuming everything is switched off.
Are AI hearing aids much more expensive?
Sometimes, but the words “AI hearing aid” do not tell you much about price on their own anymore.
Manufacturers now use AI in different ways and across different technology levels.
The important question is whether the additional features in a particular model are likely to make a difference in your everyday listening situations.
If we do not think paying more is likely to give you a meaningful benefit, we will tell you.
Can I try the technology before deciding?
Yes.
In many cases, trying hearing aids in your own everyday environments tells us far more than listening to them for ten minutes in a quiet clinic room.
After all, if the problem is the restaurant, that is where we ultimately need the hearing aids to prove themselves.
Start with the problem, not the product
If you are curious about newer hearing technology, bring us the situations you find difficult rather than worrying about which brand or which AI you are supposed to ask for.
Tell us where you struggle to hear. We can work out which technology — if any — is likely to help.
Because the goal is not to own the hearing aid with the most impressive technology.
The goal is to hear better in the parts of life that matter to you.
Book online or call 07 5619 3007 to speak with our team.
