AI learning and hearing aid technology

Can machine learning help with hearing?

Humans and animals experience an astonishing variety of sounds every day, and we’re able to communicate and understand one another despite background noise, the pitch of a person’s voice or their accent.

But what’s being done to understand the biology of sound recognition so we can find ways to improve it for the many people who struggle with conditions that make it hard for them to recognise speech? Or for the many people who have or will have a hearing impairment?

Well, if you’ve read recent stories about artificial intelligence and machine learning and are worried about the negative potential of these technologies, it’s important to know they can be a force for good. 

Recently, researchers have developed a machine learning model that mimics how the brains of social animals distinguish between different sound categories, like mating, food or danger, and react accordingly. This development helps to explain how our brains recognise the meaning of communication sounds, such as spoken words or animal calls.

But how can this help in the hearing realm? This new research has the potential to pave the way for making hearing aids even better and more tailored to individuals’ needs, as well as to support research into treating disorders that affect speech recognition. 

Here for you
Let the team at The Hearing Clinic help you to hear clearly, even in noisy settings, and stay connected to the people, places and pastimes you care about. You’ll be taking positive steps to long term health, happiness and wellbeing.

Give us a call on: 
01462 506074 (Hitchin) 
01923 372101 (Radlett)
01707 594979 (Welwyn)