BIHIMA interviews Dr. Dave Fabry, Chief Innovation Officer at Starkey

Advances in technology are creating better experiences for users and for healthcare professionals. BIHIMA spoke with Dr Dave Fabry, Chief Innovation Officer at Starkey, in our latest interview for Audio Infos Magazine, to discuss how artificial intelligence in hearing technology has evolved. We talk about how the use of AI in hearing technology has changed over time, and where AI is taking us in the future.

How has the use of AI in hearing technology changed over time?

In the early to mid 2000s we started to see hearing instruments that were able to use machine learning and to be trained to use acoustic environmental classification (AEC) so that patients could go from a quiet to a noisy listening environment and automatically the hearing instrument would incorporate directionality and noise management appropriate to that specific environment.

The challenge was that though the automatic process made the user experience easier, the classifiers are only about 80 to 85% accurate because speech is a stimulus, but it can also be noise and it’s very difficult for the hearing instrument to have the same intent that the person would have in terms of choosing who or what to listen to.

This is where we see the next generation of hearing instrument – where we combine AI with user intent – in the last decade we’ve seen tremendous advances in the way hearing instruments are used.

I believe, for all of us in the industry, a seminal event was 2014 when the first made-for-iPhone hearing instruments were developed – that was really the beginning of when hearing instruments began to transition from single purpose devices into multi-purpose/multi-function ones that amplify speech and other sounds to improve audibility, reduce background noises and allow the user to use an application to turn the volume up and down and to control basic hearing instrument functions.

How can the use of AI in hearing instruments affect user experience?

The hearing industry is on a journey using AI to monitor and improve overall health and wellness of patients. Sensors incorporated into specific hearing instruments are capable of monitoring social engagement, physical activity and fall detection.

• AI can monitor the very specific signature of what happens when a person has a fall. 
• AI can also be used for real-time translation. 
• We also have real time transcription capabilities.
• Medication reminders for people on multiple tablets.

The use of AI in hearing instruments is not only improving audibility, sound quality and listening experience, but is being used support overall health and give peace of mind to the user.

How do audiologists benefit from the integration of AI in hearing instruments?

One thing we know is that telehealth has been around for a while but wasn’t used that much until the pandemic, when many patients felt unsafe to go to face-to-face appointments. We’re seeing a dramatic increase in the use of telehealth since the pandemic. In the past people perhaps made assumptions that older people couldn’t or wouldn’t want to use technology, but people have taken to it really well and the use of technology in the senior populations has dramatically increased.

Data logging in hearing instruments provides a snapshot for the audiologist to see how the patient is using their hearing instrument. This can also enable the audiologist to see how many falls a patient may have had so they can discuss fall risk with the patient without being dependent on the patient’s memory to recall fall events. The data can turn a sensitive conversation into a productive one and discuss preventative measures that can be taken to avoid falls happening. AI enables the audiologist to work at the top of their scope of practice and offer a holistic approach to their patient care, looking at the connection to overall health and wellbeing.

What does the future look like: how do you see the use of AI in hearing technology evolving?

We continue to see that the automation and use of AI in combination with human intelligence provides the best listening experience. Long term we’re trying to provide as effortless a solution as possible. The future is to put as much on board the hearing instrument as possible but of course always keeping audibility and sound quality as the number one priority.

Click here to read the full interview at Audiology World News.

This technology interview series is a regular feature in Audio Infos Magazine and can be found online at Audiology World News. BIHIMA interviews one of its members in each issue of the magazine on a pressing technology topic effecting the hearing instrument industry today.