STOCKTON, Calif — An audiology center based in Stockton is using artificial intelligence to improve the hearing and lives of older adults in the region.
Lizzie Perkins, the owner of Stockton Hearing Aid Dispensing Center, says the AI technology isn’t being used in the way you think.
“The AI isn’t traditional AI,” she said. “It's not taking any of your personal information. It's not taking your name or anything that can be connected to you. It's just taking a mathematical understanding of an environment and shooting it up to the cloud. Then, if you're in a situation where you're struggling and your situation matches something else, or most likely many other things that people have experienced, it will then put those sound parameters as options for you to experience to see if that's something that will work for you.”
In other words, they adjust to a person's surroundings, providing hearing in 3D by adjusting to speech comprehension and background noise.
One of those using the high-tech hearing aids is Bobbie Wallinger. She noticed she was having trouble hearing while reading to children and couldn’t hear their questions.
“I am not a tech person at all, but I can use my phone to adjust my hearing aids,” said Wallinger. "It is easy. If I can use it, anybody can use it."
Currently, the Stockton Hearing Aid Dispensing Center offers the product and does free testing.
“I look forward to making a difference in people's lives because of what I do. What I spend... like maybe three minutes doing here... on a computer will affect them every single day inside and outside of whatever it is they're doing,” said Perkins. “That's huge.”
To learn more about the Stockton Hearing Aid Dispensing Center and what they offer, click here.
