Oticon’s new Reveal hearing aid platform introduces a Dual AI approach designed to manage speech and contextual sounds while preserving the broader sound environment around the listener. Andrew Bellavia visits the Oticon Reveal U.S. launch at OticonNext in San Diego for an in-depth look at the technology with Michael Lamberson, President of Oticon USA, and Thomas Behrens, Vice President of Hearing Aid Audiology.They explore how Reveal differs from Oticon Intent, including two deep neural networks running on a single processing chip. Speech AI identifies and tracks speech across frequencies, while Context AI uses that information to manage surrounding sounds and noise. Rather than completely isolating a speaker, Oticon’s approach aims to create greater contrast between speech and background sound while maintaining contextual information from the surrounding environment.The conversation examines how clinicians can personalize the balance between speech and contextual sound, 360-degree access to the listening environment, and automatic adaptation across situations ranging from restaurants and group conversations to music. Bellavia, Lamberson, and Behrens also discuss listening effort, cognitive load, memory, and Oticon’s research into how hearing aid processing affects the brain.They also take a closer look at Reveal’s expanded fitting range, feedback management, IP68 rating, battery life, and wind noise processing, with Oticon reporting up to 10 dB of additional wind noise suppression compared with previous devices.

The discussion also covers updated connectivity hardware, Auracast, LE Audio, MFi, and other wireless protocols, before concluding with a broader look at how Oticon is approaching the continued use of AI and deep neural networks in hearing aids.Be sure to subscribe to our channel for the latest episodes each week and follow This Week in Hearing on LinkedIn, Instagram and X.

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Pediatric cochlear implant candidacy has expanded significantly in recent years, creating opportunities for earlier intervention and opening the door to implantation for children who may not have been considered candidates in the past.Dr. Bob Traynor is joined by Dr. Samantha Scharf, Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to discuss recent changes to FDA indications for pediatric cochlear implants and what they mean for audiologists, cochlear implant teams, and families.Scharf explains how pediatric candidacy has evolved, including the reduction of the minimum implantation age to 7 months for certain children with bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss and the expansion of audiometric criteria to include children with more residual hearing. They discuss the research supporting earlier implantation and why providing consistent access to sound during critical periods of auditory and language development can have an important impact on long-term listening and spoken-language outcomes.The conversation also examines cochlear implantation for children with single-sided deafness, the evidence supporting implantation in younger children, and ongoing research evaluating whether candidacy for single-sided deafness could eventually extend below the current minimum age of 5 years.For clinicians, Scharf emphasizes the importance of beginning the referral process early rather than waiting until a child reaches the minimum implantation age. She also discusses the Pediatric CI 3-60 Guidelines, which recommends referral for a cochlear implant candidacy evaluation when a child meets any one of three measures in the ear being considered: an unaided four-frequency pure-tone average (4FPTA) of 60 dB HL or greater, an aided Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) of 0.60 or less, or a word recognition score (WRS) of 60% or less when available. These measures are intended to help identify children who warrant a comprehensive CI evaluation—not to determine candidacy on their own.Scharf also offers guidance for families navigating a new diagnosis of profound hearing loss and discusses why timely evaluation and intervention can be particularly important when listening and spoken language are among a family's goals.

• Read the referenced article, “New Cochlear Implant Candidacy Criteria for Children,” in The Hearing Journal

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For people with hearing loss, many of the biggest challenges happen outside the clinic—from navigating difficult listening situations to managing the emotional and social impact of hearing loss.Shari Eberts is joined by Dan Reiner, Director of Communications and Marketing at the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), to explore how the organization can complement clinical hearing care and help support patients between appointments.They discuss HLAA’s network of 125 chapters and state associations, Hearing Life magazine, peer support groups, educational webinars, practical toolkits, workplace resources, Walk4Hearing events, and other free materials that hearing care professionals can share with patients and families. Dan also offers practical suggestions for audiologists interested in incorporating HLAA resources into their everyday patient care.The conversation highlights the role that community, education, peer support, and accessible resources can play in helping people live well with hearing loss—long after the clinical appointment ends.

Resources Mentioned:

• Hearing Loss Toolkit: https://www.hearingloss.org/resources/hearing-loss-toolkit/
• Hearing Life Magazine: https://www.hearingloss.org/media-and-publications/hearing-life-magazine/

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Fortell is taking an unusual path for a hearing aid startup: entering the prescription hearing aid market with proprietary AI technology, its own clinics, and a care model built around audiologists.Shari Eberts speaks with Fortell co-founders Matt de Jonge and Cole Morris about the company’s approach to one of the most persistent challenges in hearing care—understanding speech in environments with multiple competing talkers.The conversation explores Fortell’s use of source separation and Spatial AI, including its Front Voices mode, which is designed to prioritize speakers in front of the wearer while reducing competing voices from other directions. De Jonge and Morris also discuss clinical studies evaluating speech intelligibility and listener preference in multi-talker noise, along with the limitations of the technology and why some of its more aggressive processing remains under manual control.The discussion also examines Fortell’s decision to enter the prescription market through company-operated clinics rather than the more typical manufacturer distribution model. The co-founders explain the role audiologists play in fitting and optimizing the technology, how the company approaches pricing and ongoing care, and the challenges of building and scaling a new hearing aid company in a market dominated by established manufacturers.Looking ahead, Fortell plans to expand its clinical footprint while continuing to develop its AI-based hearing technology. Since the conversation was recorded, the company has also introduced AI 2.0, a software update that Fortell says further improves speech-in-noise performance through expanded real-world training data and updated signal processing.Learn more about Fortell AI 2.0 update here:

• https://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearing-technologies/2026/fortell-ai-2-update-hearing-aids/

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Phonak’s new EON hearing aid platform brings a smaller Sphere design, a new HYPERSONIC AI chip, expanded Spheric Speech Clarity, improved wind noise management, and Auracast connectivity.Andrew Bellavia visits the Phonak EON hearing aid launch at Ravinia Festival near Chicago for an in-depth look at the technology with Christine Jones, Michael Preuss, and Stefan Launer. They explore how a more efficient deep neural network and new chip architecture allowed Phonak to significantly reduce the size of its Sphere hearing aid while extending access to AI-based speech processing throughout the day.The conversation examines Spheric Speech Clarity 3.0, AutoSense OS AI 8.0, APD 4.0, and WindBlock 2.0, including how EON adapts its compression strategy as listening conditions change and remains in its AI-powered speech-in-loud-noise mode more consistently in fluctuating environments. They also dig into the research and technical measurements behind the platform, including wind noise reduction, speech-to-noise performance, listening effort, and emerging approaches to measuring how hearing aid processing affects cognitive load.Connectivity is another major focus. EON adds Auracast alongside Phonak’s Bluetooth and Roger ecosystem, with Phonak reporting Auracast reception at distances up to 211 meters under test conditions. Bellavia also discusses the addition of NAL-NL3 in Phonak Target 12.0 and shares news that existing Infinio and Infinio Ultra users are expected to gain access to Auracast through a future firmware update.The discussion concludes with a look at where deep neural networks in hearing aids could go next. It also explores plans for a permanent Auracast installation at Ravinia designed to make its popular outdoor lawn concerts more accessible to people with hearing loss. Bellavia’s consulting firm, AuraFuturity, has been working with Phonak on the Ravinia Auracast project.

Resources Mentioned:

1. Study on WindBlock 2.0: https://www.phonak.com/content/dam/phonak/en/evidence-library/field-studies/PH_FieldStudyNews_WindBlock2.0_210x280_EN_028-2901-02_V1.00.pdf
2. AutoSense OS™ AI 8.0 Technical Paper: https://www.phonak.com/content/dam/phonak/en/evidence-library/white-paper/technical-paper/PH_Insight_AutoSenseOS8.0_210x297_EN_028-2928-02_V1.00.pdf

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AI-powered captions are becoming increasingly common, but Rylo CEO and co-founder Tomer Aharoni believes accessible communication needs to go much further than simply converting speech into text.Shari Eberts speaks with Aharoni about the evolution of Nagish into Rylo and the company’s expansion from FCC-certified captioned phone calls into a broader AI communication platform for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. Aharoni shares how the company began with a simple experiment while he was a computer science student at Columbia and why Rylo now views accessibility as the starting point rather than the end goal.The conversation explores how AI could provide communication context that traditional captions may miss, including emotion, tone, accents and environmental sounds. Aharoni also discusses emerging tools such as sentiment analysis, potential fraud detection features, and Rylo Sign, an effort to use AI to translate between signed and spoken language when an interpreter may not be available.Looking ahead, Aharoni explains why he expects basic captioning to become increasingly ubiquitous and how AI could help reduce the additional planning and communication barriers that people who are Deaf and hard of hearing often encounter in everyday life.

• For more information on Rylo, visit: https://rylo.com/

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What changes when a hearing aid uses four specialized deep neural networks at the same time?

Andrew Bellavia travels to Munich for an early look at Signia MaX, the company’s new hearing aid platform built around what Signia calls Acoustic Intelligence. Andrew sits down with Barinder Samra, MSc, Global Senior Commercial Audiology Manager at Signia, to explore how the new architecture differs from Signia IX and why the company is moving beyond using AI for individual processing features.At the center of MaX are four task-specific DNNs dedicated to speech, the wearer’s own voice, environmental scene analysis, and noise. Rather than operating as isolated features, the networks share information to create a broader picture of the listening environment and coordinate how the hearing aids respond in real time.

The discussion looks closely at RealTime Conversation Enhancement AI, which builds on the multi-speaker conversation technology introduced with Signia IX. MaX replaces the previous machine-learning approach to speech detection with a dedicated DNN trained to analyze, detect, and isolate speech, while Own Voice Processing AI eliminates the need for the in-clinic own-voice training procedure used with earlier Signia devices.

Topics discussed include:

• How Signia MaX and Acoustic Intelligence use four specialized DNNs
• RealTime Conversation Enhancement AI and group conversations in noise
• How MaX differs from the previous Signia IX platform
• Own Voice Processing AI and the removal of in-clinic voice calibration
• Ambient Scene Adaptation AI and Dynamic Noise Control AI
• How the hearing aids distinguish between listening to the environment and actively participating in conversation
• The new MaX chip and increased processing power
• OneConnect Technology and support for Bluetooth Classic, LE Audio, telecoil, and Auracast
• Battery life and charging
• Signia Assistant and user-driven hearing aid adjustments
• Where Signia sees the MaX platform going next

Andrew also shares his impressions after wearing the MaX hearing aids around Munich and directly comparing them with his own Signia IX devices.

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GN’s new ReSound Sensia hearing aids build on the AI and Deep Neural Network (DNN) technology introduced with ReSound Vivia, with a major change: advanced speech-in-noise processing can now engage automatically. At the center of the new platform is AcoustIQ™, which analyzes the listening environment and determines when to activate directional processing, DNN-based noise reduction, and other features to support speech understanding without requiring the wearer to manually switch programs.Andrew Bellavia visits GN headquarters in Denmark to speak with Laurel Christensen, Chief Audiology Officer, and Brian Dam Pedersen, Chief Technology Officer, about the technology behind Sensia and how GN is combining traditional signal processing with newer AI approaches. They explore how Sensia moves between spatial listening, asymmetric directionality, multi-band beamforming, and DNN processing depending on the acoustic environment and location of speech. The discussion also examines why GN intentionally does not classify music automatically and how preserving spatial cues can help create a more natural listening experience even when directional processing is active.The conversation also looks at where hearing aid AI may be headed next, including the potential for increasingly powerful DNNs to drive further improvements in speech-in-noise performance. Other topics include Sensia’s 24-hour battery life, Auracast™ and telecoil connectivity options, and new ReSound Sensia Bimodal and Enzo IA Bimodal models designed to work more seamlessly with Cochlear® Nucleus® sound processors.

• Launch announcement: https://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearing-technologies/2026/resound-sensia-hearing-aids-dnn-ai

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Accessible communication technology is advancing rapidly, but building tools that people can truly depend on requires more than simply adding artificial intelligence.Brian Taylor speaks with InnoCaption CEO Paul Lee about the evolution of captioned communication, the company’s milestone of supporting more than 30 million captioned calls, and the importance of keeping users at the center of accessibility technology. Lee also shares the personal story behind his move from finance to InnoCaption and his recent transition into the CEO role as his father, who founded the company, steps back from day-to-day operations.The conversation examines InnoCaption’s approach to responsible AI, including why users can choose between automated captions and live stenographers and how human support teams continue to train and refine the company’s AI tools. Lee discusses the challenge of designing AI-assisted text-to-speech technology that can make communication faster without taking control away from the person using it.They also explore lessons from InnoCaption’s acquisition of CaptionMate, the growing role of accessible video calling, and why visual cues such as facial expressions and lipreading remain important alongside captions.Looking ahead, Lee discusses the broader shift toward captions as a mainstream communication tool and the potential for technologies such as Auracast to expand access to audio in public spaces. Together, these developments point toward a future in which accessibility features are increasingly integrated into everyday communication rather than treated as specialized add-ons.

• Learn more about InnoCaption:https://www.innocaption.com/

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Hearing aids are only part of the solution. While today's hearing technology can be life-changing, even the best hearing aids can struggle in challenging listening environments like theaters, airports, courtrooms, places of worship, and other public spaces.Shari Eberts sits down with Dr. Juliette Sterkens and Wynne Whyman of the Center for Hearing Access to discuss why assistive listening technologies—including hearing loops, telecoils, FM systems, infrared systems, and Auracast™—are critical for improving communication access beyond the hearing aid.Together, they explore practical strategies for consumers, hearing care professionals, and public venues to expand accessibility, improve patient outcomes, and help ensure people with hearing loss can fully participate in everyday life.Topics include:

• Why hearing aids alone aren't enough in many listening environments
• Hearing loops, telecoils, FM systems, infrared, and Auracast explained
• The Center for Hearing Access and its mission
• Resources for consumers, clinicians, and public venues
• ADA rights and practical advocacy tips
• Why audiologists should discuss assistive listening during hearing aid fittings
• Auracast's role in the future of hearing accessibility
• Why captioning and assistive listening work best together

• Action steps for both hearing care professionals and consumers

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