By Thomas Behrens, VP of Audiology & Research, Hearing Aids, Demant

After more than 27 years at Oticon, I have watched our field evolve from early digital experiments to today’s intelligent, sensor-driven innovations. But the transformation we are witnessing now, powered by AI and precision diagnostics, is unlike anything before. This shift is not simply incremental progress. It is, in my view, a fundamental rethinking of how we help people with hearing loss to hear and engage with the world.

Why AI matters, and why it must serve people, not replace professionals

There is widespread excitement and concern around AI in healthcare. For hearing care, however, I see AI as a powerful extension of professional expertise, not a substitute. Today’s hearing aids use AI to recognise and interpret sound patterns much like clinicians use AI-supported tools to read medical images.

AI should act as a listening partner for the brain, helping people focus on what truly deserves their attention. Instead of amplifying all sound indiscriminately, purpose-built AI helps emphasise speech while softening surrounding sounds and suppressing noise that is low on information content – enabling users to stay present in conversations, even in acoustically challenging settings, whilst still having access to the surrounding sounds around them.

Our second-generation of AI builds on millions of real-life sound samples to meaningfully extend what hearing technology can deliver, supporting users based on their listening intent, rather than merely reacting to surrounding noise. This continued generational progress keeps Oticon steps ahead, making intelligent, always-on sound processing a natural and dependable part of modern hearing care.

From sound processing to sound understanding

One of the breakthroughs I’m most proud of is how we at Oticon train our systems using millions of real-life sound samples, snippets from cafés, classrooms, kitchens, and crowded gatherings. This extensive learning allows our models to understand nuanced acoustic cues and protect the integrity of speech, even when background noise threatens to swallow it.

Our technology relies heavily on a range of sensing mechanisms, which helps identify the “acoustic signatures” of vowels, consonants, and environmental noise in the training phase of the AI, so they can be used to differentiate meaningful sound from less meaningful sound when the AI is running in the hearing aid in the world of the user. This enables hearing aids to reconstruct clarity, not just volume. In a quiet room, this may seem trivial. In a busy restaurant, it’s transformative.

I often describe it this way: We are no longer just delivering sound, we are restoring structure and meaning to acoustic scenes for the wider hearing and brain system to make sense of sound, much faster and much easier.

Precision diagnostics: The missing piece of the puzzle

AI alone cannot create personalisation. It must be paired with precise diagnostic insight. Tools like Audible Contrast Threshold (ACT) give us a window into how well an individual distinguishes speech from noise, and this knowledge allows clinicians to tailor fittings with unprecedented specificity.

In my view, this is where the future lies: a fusion of objective data, behavioural insight, and intelligent signal processing working together to support the user in real-world environments.

Reflecting on the journey from early digital hearing aids to today’s sensor-enhanced solutions, I often remark that the real revolution is our growing understanding of how people behave and communicate, not just how they hear.

At the same time, we are working to make these advanced AI capabilities increasingly accessible for all hearing aid users across different styles and price ranges, so more people can benefit from meaningful sound processing.

A future built on user intent and real life listening needs

As AI and diagnostics continue to advance, they open the door to solutions that respond not only to sound environments, but to human intention. We have entered an era where hearing aids can interpret head movement, conversational dynamics, and acoustic context to deliver the right support at the right moment. This is something we are already exploring deeply with our latest technologies.

This is the next frontier: hearing care that adapts continuously, subtly, and personally – every single moment.

Further down the line, we expect that AI will also be able to speed up the work of clinics. By their very nature, they spend a lot of time customising devices in clinics. The goal is to be able to get help with hearing diagnoses from AI, which will then automatically assist clinicians with customisation.

The promise ahead

To me, the future of hearing technology is clear. It is not about complexity – it is about meaningful simplicity for the user. It is about enabling people to follow conversations without strain, to feel at ease in noisy environments, and to stay connected to the people and experiences that shape their lives.

AI and precision diagnostics are not just technical milestones; they are tools that help us uphold our core promise: to empower people to live life fully through better hearing.