ORLAND PARK, Ill. — Artificial Intelligence is already having a beneficial effect in healthcare. It assists in identifying conditions like breast and colon cancers and facilitates the development of new medications. Currently, manufacturers of medical devices are employing machine learning to address the most common issue faced by older adults: hearing difficulties. Traditional hearing aids amplify sound but often increase background noise as well.
Many seniors steer clear of this setting.
Despite wearing hearing aids for seven years, Patrick Jarzembowski still struggles to follow conversations in noisy restaurants or social gatherings.
He mentioned, ‘Almost every second word was “huh?”’
Jackie Sullivan works as a hearing instrument specialist at the Orland Hearing Center located in Orland Park.
“By the time they reach 65 years old, most patients find that one out of every three already requires assistance for their hearing loss,” Sullivan stated.
“I was genuinely astonished—shocked even—at how many changes occurred,” Jarzembowski remarked about his device.
The change lies within those small gadgets.
“Artificial intelligence takes your spoken content along with background noise, and through this process, it enhances the dialogue you wish to listen to in noisy environments,” Sullivan explained.
“It’s incredible, and I must say I’m not really into the internet or technology,” Jarzembowski stated.
Jarzembowski favors trap shooting over technology. The sport probably led to his loss of hearing.
“When I had trouble with my hearing, it used to make me irritated and annoyed,” he explained.
Increased Coverage: WGN’s Health Monitor
His earlier models were helpful, but his most recent pair—improved with AI—make a significant impact.
“When you find yourself in such environments, like meetings or gatherings, and you feel that the built-in functions of your hearing aids aren’t sufficiently reducing background noise as desired, this spherical mode will step in,” Sullivan explained.
The “spherical mode” is the AI segment designed to operate similar to the human mind.
“That’s this artificial intelligence taking over now saying, ‘Hey, I acknowledge that these sound waves coming into this chip are not speech and so I want to reduce that,’” Sullivan said. “So that Pat’s in a restaurant, Pat wants to hear the speech waves coming in.”
The updated version features dual chips. One handles most tasks; it captures sounds and dialogues then makes automatic tweaks. However, the secondary chip has a singular role—it distinguishes between spoken content and ambient noises. This leads to a decrease of ten decibels in environmental clamor.
“And thus, the auxiliary chip can acquire data, process it, and subsequently generate predictions derived from past experiences,” Sullivan explained.
You catch every word. I’m not talking about, ‘Huh? Excuse me? Sorry?’ Jarzembowski stated. “Now it’s delightful to converse with someone in a restaurant.
We had a patient just last week who went outdoors and exclaimed, ‘Wow! I could hear a bird sing!’ Those are the moments that make you appreciate your daily work.
A significant advantage of using hearing aids lies in their ability to combat social isolation. Enhancements in auditory capabilities lead to better general well-being. Depending on your insurance policy, it might reimburse you for part or even all of the expense of these artificial intelligence devices, whose price typically spans from approximately $2,700 to $3,000 per ear.
Sign up for our
Medical Watch newsletter.
This daily update includes important information from WGN’s Dina Bair and the Med Watch team, including, the latest updates from health organizations, in-depth reporting on advancements in medical technology and treatments, as well as personal features related to people in the medical field.
Sign up here
.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This content must not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or distributed.
To get the most recent updates on news, weather, sports, and live streams, visit WGN-TV.