Blackberry Hearing puts AI at the heart of hearing care
Irish-owned Blackberry Hearing is embracing artificial intelligence across its business, introducing AI to help customers access hearing care while also investing in a new generation of intelligent hearing devices which use sophisticated technology to adapt to the individual and their surroundings.
The company has introduced Áine, an AI agent developed to help customers navigate the hearing care journey, from an initial concern or enquiry through to accessing an audiologist.
“Around one in 12 adults in Ireland lives with permanent hearing loss, rising to approximately half of people aged over 70. An estimated 300,000 Irish adults could benefit from hearing devices, yet only around one in five currently uses them,” Matthew Gleeson, managing director of Blackberry Hearing, said.
The technology is being led by Dr Luke Higgins, analytics and AI director at Blackberry Hearing, and follows several years of investment by the company in data, analytics and digital transformation.
Áine can engage directly with customers about hearing concerns, help identify whether they require a hearing assessment, aftercare, servicing or other support and provide information on devices, pricing, grants, warranties and appointments.
The technology connects with live clinic availability across Blackberry Hearing’s national network, enabling customers to find and book appropriate appointments in real time.
According to Dr. Higgins, the technology represents a practical application of AI rather than simply introducing it for the sake of innovation.
“AI is dominating the technology conversation, but useful AI has to be built on good data,” Dr Higgins, said.
He added: “Blackberry Hearing has spent several years investing in its data, analytics, systems and processes. Áine is a result of that work and has been developed around the real customer journey.”
Blackberry Hearing is also developing further AI capability behind the scenes. Known internally as ‘Gráinne’, it is designed to help the wider team quickly recognise which customer enquiries need attention first, so that nobody who has reached out is left waiting too long for a response.
Over time, the ambition is for Gráinne and Áine to work together, helping ensure that every enquiry reaches the right person at the right time.
AI is also becoming increasingly sophisticated within the Blackberry hearing devices themselves.
The company continues to invest in premium global hearing technology from manufacturers including Widex and Philips, with modern devices using intelligent processing to analyse a wearer’s listening environment and automatically optimise sound.
As an official supplier of the premium Widex range, Blackberry Hearing now offers the Widex Allure 440 AI, one of the latest generations of intelligent hearing technology.
The device incorporates AI-assisted sound personalisation alongside sophisticated sound classification which can distinguish speech from surrounding noise and adapt accordingly.
Blackberry Hearing provides hearing assessments for adults and children, using advanced diagnostic technology to assess hearing and enable its audiologists to recommend solutions based on an individual’s hearing, lifestyle and needs.
The move into AI comes as Blackberry Hearing enters another period of expansion. Founded in 2015 by Dave Gleeson and John Ryan to provide high-quality hearing solutions at accessible prices, the company has grown into one of Ireland’s leading hearing device providers.
Patryk Goron
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