The New AI-Powered Hearing Aids and Shabbos

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

WARNING: The following long article is not meant to be a Psak. The issues addressed here are merely an overview and a guide to the Marei Mekomos where the Psakim of the Gedolim of the previous generation may be found. If someone needs a Psak one should seek guidance from his own Rav or Posaik. Some of the topics may also fall under the purview of a “Velt Shailah” and require the ruling of today’s Gedolei HaPoskim. Please keep this in mind throughout the article and whatever comments you may have.  For the sake of brevity, and for keeping to the attention span of the reader, the article was kept to below 5000 words.

Understanding Modern AI Hearing Aids

Today’s hearing aids are much smarter than the ones bubby and zaidy used to use. Modern hearing aids use AI – artificial intelligence – which means that they can think and learn like a computer brain. These devices don’t just make sounds louder – they can actually figure out what sounds are important and what sounds are just noise.

Companies such as Starkey, Phonak, ReSound, Oticon, Signia, and Widex now make AI powered hearing aids that cost between about $2,700 and $3,300 a pair, but they do much more. They employ MLT, DNNT, and CES. This article will try to explain these three and the issues of Hilchos Shabbos, so please DoNN’T MeLT down and CuS. [With apologies, but it can perhaps be used as a mnemonic.]

Deep Neural Network Technology (DNNT)

DNNT is a highly advanced type of AI in hearing aids. Deep Neural Network attempts to copy how the brain normally hears sounds. Companies train these systems using millions of real-world sounds. For example, Oticon uses over 12 million sound samples to teach their hearing aids how to work more effectively.

Machine Learning Technology (MLT)

Machine learning means the hearing aid can learn from what you individually do. If the volume is always turned up in an environment where noisy restaurant background noise is heard – the AI powered hearing aid remembers this type of noise and automatically adjusts.

Constant Environmental Scanning (CES)

These hearing aids always check what is happening around you. Some models scan the environment 700 times each second. They can figure out if you are in a quiet room, a noisy restaurant, or outside in the wind. They then automatically adjust to help you hear better in each situation.

Major AI Hearing Aid Models

Starkey Edge AI and Genesis AI ($3,198 per pair)

Starkey was the first company to make AI hearing aids in 2018. The newest model, the Edge AI, makes over 80 million sound adjustments each hour. The device can also count steps, detect if one has fallen down, and can even translate words into over 70 different languages.

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The Edge AI has something called “Edge Mode Plus” that can be turned on by tapping the hearing aid twice or using a phone app. When this mode is on, the hearing aid works extra hard to help the wearer understand speech in very noisy places, but it also uses up the battery faster. One must check with one’s own Rav, but it is this author’s view that these two models are questionable.

Phonak Sphere Infinio ($3,298 per pair)

Phonak makes hearing aids that scan the environment 700 times every second. Their newest model, the Sphere Infinio, has two computer chips instead of one. The extra chip is just for AI processing, which means it can do more advanced sound processing.

The Sphere Infinio has a feature called “Spheric Speech Clarity” that helps you hear voices even when there’s a lot of background noise. Phonak says this provides 10 times better hearing in noisy places compared to older hearing aids.

ReSound Vivia ($2,798 per pair)

ReSound’s newest AI hearing aid, the Vivia, is the smallest AI hearing aid made by a major company. Like the Phonak, it has two computer chips. The AI chip can do almost 5 trillion operations every day to help one hear better.

The Vivia has something called “Intelligent Focus” that automatically finds the voices you want to hear and reduces background noise. The battery lasts up to 30 hours on one charge, or 20 hours if using the AI features.

Oticon Intent ($2,898 per pair)

Oticon makes hearing aids with “4D Sensor technology.” This means the hearing aid pays attention to four different things: the sounds around you, how you move your head, how your body moves, and whether you are having a conversation. It uses all this information to automatically adjust the sound.

The Intent hearing aid has something called “MoreSound Intelligence 3.0” that can reduce background noise by up to 12 decibels. That’s makes it easier to understand speech in noisy places.

Signia Pure Charge&Go IX ($2,698 per pair)

Signia makes hearing aids that can track multiple people talking at the same time. Their IX hearing aids split sounds into separate streams, so they can process speech and background noise separately. This makes it easier to follow conversations when multiple people are talking.

These hearing aids also track your health by counting steps, measuring physical activity, and monitoring how much you interact with other people socially.

Widex Allure ($2,798 per pair)

Widex uses AI differently than other companies. Instead of doing all the AI processing automatically, Widex hearing aids let you choose between two different sound options. The AI learns which option you prefer in different situations and then automatically makes those choices for you in the future.

Understanding the Basic Halachic Issues

Before we can understand the implications of the new AI hearing aids, we need to understand the underlying halachic issues of the old hearing aids on Shabbos.

The Issue of Boneh (Building)

The most serious D’oraisah concern regarding the old hearing aids was Boneh, which means “building.” This is one of the 39 types of work forbidden on Shabbos. When any electrical device is used, it may complete an electrical circuit, which some poskim consider a form of building because you are creating a new functional pathway.

The Chazon Ish was particularly strict about this. He believed that completing any electrical circuit on Shabbos violates the Biblical prohibition of Boneh. This is why the fact that the Chazon Ish allowed hearing aids was so significant – even though he was machmir about electricity, he made an exception for hearing aids when they were left on from before Shabbos. In Bnei Brak, the Poskim and the residents try to follow the Chazon Ish’s position on electricity, and thus for these Poskim, the new AI-powered hearing aids may present more of a halachic challenge.

The Issue of Increasing Electric Current

Another problem is whether increasing the flow of electricity through a device counts as forbidden work. When one turns up the volume on a hearing aid, more electricity flows through the circuits. Some poskim think this is a problem, while others allow it. The AI chips do cause more electricity to flow, and it seems to this author that some of the Bnei Brak Poskim may take issue with this.

The Issue of Making Sound (Hashma’as Kol)

There is also a question about whether making electronic sounds on Shabbos is forbidden. Some poskim worry that when you speak to someone with a hearing aid, you’re causing the device to create electronic sounds, which might be problematic.  This is called Avusha Milsa or zilusa d’shabsa.

The Issue of Muktzah

Muktzah refers to things one may not move on Shabbos. It is said that the Vilna Gaon once passed out just because he inadvertently touched Muktzah – where he did not even move it. Some poskim argued that hearing aids should be muktzah because they contain batteries, similar to how one may not move a lit candle on Shabbos.

The Issue of Hotza’ah – Carrying

Some hearing aids have parts that go in the pocket connected by wires to parts that go in your ear. In places without an eruv (a special boundary that allows carrying), wearing such a device might count as carrying, which is forbidden on Shabbos.

The Issue of Tikkun Manah (Fixing a Device)

When a hearing aid is not working properly and you fix it, that’s called tikkun manah. Changing from T-mode (for telephones) back to M-mode (for microphones) might count as fixing the device, which would be forbidden.  Remember, before proceeding with any specific application, one must consult with one’s own Rav or Posaik.

Poskim Who Allowed the Old Hearing Aids

Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l paskened (Igros Moshe OC IV §85) that people who are nearly deaf or hard of hearing may use hearing aids on Shabbos, but the hearing aid must be turned on before Shabbos starts. He understood that once the device is on, using it doesn’t create new electrical circuits.

Rav Henkin zt”l also allows hearing aids on Shabbos in Gvuros Eliyahu (vol. 1 §98:8, §102–103:1), but only if they are turned on before Shabbos in a way where one cannot accidentally change the settings during Shabbos. He recommended sealing the hearing aid controls to prevent accidental adjustments.

The Chazon Ish zt”l gave permission for hearing aids as long as they stay on from before Shabbos, as cited by Rav Unterman zt”l (see Shevet M’Yehuda Vol. II §35). This was remarkable because the Chazon Ish usually forbade any electrical activity that completed a circuit. However, he distinguished between turning on a device (which creates new circuits) and using a device that’s already on.

Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l was the most meikil – lenient. In Shmiras Shabbos K’Hilchosah (34:28), he is cited that one may even adjust the volume on your hearing aid if needed. This is because he believed that increasing electric current in an already-functioning device does not violate Boneh nor the other D’oraisahs that other Poskim invoked. He explained that very rapid electrical changes, like those that happen when sound waves are converted to electrical signals, happen too quickly to count as completing circuits in a halachically significant way.

Addressing the Muktzah Concern

Several poskim, including Rav Moshe Heinemann shlita and lbc”l Rav Ovadia Yoseph (Yechaveh Daas vol. II §49), ruled that hearing aids are not muktzah. They explained that since the normal way of using a hearing aid is by wearing it on the body, the fact that it contains a battery does not make it like a lit candle that one cannot touch.

Addressing the Carrying Issue

For hearing aids with battery packs that go in the pocket, Rav Henkin suggested sewing the battery pack into the pocket before Shabbos so it becomes part of your clothing. However, other poskim like Rav Shlomo Zalman Braun disagreed and said this isn’t necessary, comparing it to a person with a glass eye who does not need to worry about carrying the prosthetic.

The Basic Rules

There is a concept in halacha called, pok chazee mah amah d’bar – go out and see how the nation conducts itself, which Rav Yisroel Belsky zt”l once told me b’shaim Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, still applies today. Almost all poskim agreed on the following basic rules for the old hearing aids:

1. You can wear and use a hearing aid that was turned on before Shabbos.
2. You cannot turn on a hearing aid on Shabbos because this violates a d’oraisah.
3. You cannot change the batteries in a hearing aid on Shabbos because this is like rebuilding the device.
4. If you forgot to turn it on before Shabbos, you can ask a goy to turn it on for you because a hard-of-hearing person has the status of a choleh she’ain bo sakanah (a sick person whose life is not in danger), which allows certain leniencies.

Disagreements About Speaking to Hearing Aid Users

This is where poskim have some disagreements that will be very important for AI hearing aids.

The Lenient Position (Rav Shlomo Zalman zt”l)

Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ruled (Minchas Shlomo vol. 1 §9) that you can speak directly to someone using a hearing aid on Shabbos. His reasoning had several parts:

First, increasing electric current on Shabbos is permitted according to his understanding of the relevant halachos. Second, since only the person wearing the hearing aid hears the amplified sounds, it does not violate derabanan decrees against creating sound on Shabbos. Third, the electrical activity in hearing aids happens so quickly (thousands of times per second) that even the Chazon Ish would agree it doesn’t constitute Boneh, since these are temporary circuits that open and close rapidly.

The Stricter Position

Rav Nissim Karelitz zt”l (Chut Shani Shabbos vol. 1 p. 205) and Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv (see Orchos Shabbos vol. III 26:23) ruled that you should not speak directly to someone wearing a hearing aid. They allowed talking to someone else within earshot of the hearing aid user, but not direct conversation.

Their concern is that the speaker’s voice directly causes electrical activity within the hearing aid device. When speaking to someone with a hearing aid, your voice creates sound waves that the microphone converts to electrical signals, which then get amplified and processed. They view this as purposely causing electrical activity, which violates the prohibition of increasing electric current.

The Middle Position (Rav Feinstein)

Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l took a middle position (Igros Moshe Orach Chaim vol. 4 §85). He maintained that optimally one should not speak directly to a person wearing a hearing aid on Shabbos, but in times of great need, there are reasons to be lenient. Rav Aharon Felder zt”l reported in Reshumei Aharon (vol. 2 OC §340:2) that Rav Moshe meant if you must speak directly to someone with a hearing aid, you should be careful not to speak directly into the device. [This is a game-changer in understanding Rav Moshe]

The Status of a Hard-of-Hearing Person in Halacha

An important principle underlying the kulah among many Poskim is that a person who is hard of hearing has a special status in halacha. Many poskim classify a hard-of-hearing person as a choleh she’ein bo sakanah – a sick person whose condition is not life-threatening. One must consult a Posaik for the particular person’s status. This status allows certain leniencies on Shabbos that would not be permitted otherwise.

For example, most Poskim hold that you can ask a goy to turn on a hearing aid for someone who forgot to do it before Shabbos. You can even ask a non-Jew to change batteries if the hearing aid stops working during Shabbos.

Human Dignity (Kavod HaBriyos)

Many Poskim hold that the principle of kavod habriyos (human dignity) also supports leniencies for hearing aid use. Rav Eliezer Yehudah Waldenberg zt”l explained (Tzitz Eliezer vol. VI §6:6) that even though allowing hearing aids might make people think other electrical devices are similarly permitted, we cannot institute new decrees of maris ayin (appearances of wrongdoing) in our generation. 

Applying These Principles to AI Hearing Aids

Now that we understand all the underlying halachic issues, we can analyze how they may apply to AI hearing aids.

The Boneh Issue and AI Processing

The fundamental question is whether the millions of electronic operations that AI hearing aids perform constitute prohibited circuit completion.

According to Rav Shlomo Zalman’s approach, these rapid electronic changes would likely also be permitted. He explained that electrical activity happening at the frequency of sound waves doesn’t constitute Boneh because it happens too quickly and temporarily. AI processing, which happens even faster than basic sound processing, would likely fall under this ruling.

Even according to the Chazon Ish’s strict approach, AI processing might be permitted when the device is turned on before Shabbos as a complete unit. The Chazon Ish allowed hearing aids because the circuits were completed before Shabbos, and for many of the devices – operation during Shabbos doesn’t create new circuits. AI processing that happens within an already-activated system would follow the same logic.  But we need further guidance from the Gedolei HaPoskim.

The Electric Current Issue and Machine Learning

Machine learning algorithms constantly adjust the hearing aid’s electronic settings, which means they’re constantly changing the flow of electric current through different parts of the device.

Rav Auerbach zt”l would likely permit this because he allowed adjusting current flow in hearing aids. In fact, machine learning adjustments are even more automatic than manual volume adjustments, so they would be more clearly permitted.

Other poskim who are concerned about increasing current might rule stringently, but even they may perhaps permit automatic adjustments that happen without user intervention when configured before Shabbos.

The Muktzah Issue and Multi-Function Devices

Modern AI hearing aids don’t just amplify sound – they also track health, count steps, monitor heart rate, detect falls, and perform other functions. This raises the question of whether they’re primarily hearing aids or primarily electronic health devices.

It is hard to tell at this point, but a view may emerge that these are primarily hearing aids with additional features, similar to how a digital watch with multiple functions is still primarily a watch. As long as hearing amplification remains the main purpose, the additional AI features may not necessarily change the muktzah status – but the issue must be presented to Gedolei HaPoskim.  [Preferably by a person who can present the issue without his own hearing issues.]

The Carrying Issue and Wireless Connectivity

Unlike older hearing aids with wires connecting ear pieces to battery packs, modern AI hearing aids are typically wireless and self-contained. This eliminates most carrying concerns. However, some AI hearing aids can connect wirelessly to external devices like smartphones or remote microphones which may be a problem.

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For Shabbos use, any wireless connections to external devices would need to be disabled before Shabbos. The hearing aids themselves, being self-contained units worn on the body, may not necessarily present carrying issues.  Once again, before making determinations about specific AI features, one should consult with their Rav or Posaik.

Analysis by Type of AI Feature

When AI hearing aids automatically recognize that you are in a noisy shul that talks (a topic beyond the scope of this article) versus a quiet room and adjust accordingly, this involves:

• Electronic sound analysis happening thousands of times per second
• Automatic adjustments to amplification, noise reduction, and directional microphones
• Electronic storage and retrieval of learned preferences

Since these are automatic functions that happen as part of the device’s normal operation when turned on before Shabbos, most poskim would probably permit them. The electronic activity is similar to basic sound amplification but more sophisticated.

The constant electronic adjustments might cause concern for poskim who forbid increasing current, but since the adjustments are automatic and the device is configured before Shabbos, even strict poskim may likely permit basic AI functions.

Deep Neural Network Processing

DNN processing involves millions or billions of electronic operations per day, attempting to mimic brain function in processing sound.

Single-chip systems (like Starkey Edge AI, Oticon Intent) may perhaps be treated like advanced versions of regular hearing aids. The neural network processing happens within the device’s normal operation.

Dual-chip systems (like Phonak Sphere Infinio, ReSound Vivia) have a separate processor dedicated to AI functions. However, since both chips are activated together before Shabbos as parts of one integrated device, this may not necessarily create additional halachic issues.

Constant Environmental Scanning

AI hearing aids that scan the environment hundreds of times per second and make automatic adjustments might be permitted for the same reasons as basic machine learning. The frequency of scanning doesn’t change the halachic analysis – Rav Auerbach’s principle about rapid electrical changes may even apply more to very frequent scanning.

Health and Fitness Tracking

Step counting, activity monitoring, heart rate tracking, and other health features operate through sensors that are part of the hearing aid hardware.  Since these features operate automatically and hearing amplification remains the primary purpose, they may perhaps eventually be permitted according to the lenient view. The sensors function passively without requiring user activation during Shabbos.

Fall detection might also be permitted, and perhaps eventually be permitted due to pikuach nefesh (life-saving) considerations. Once again, this requires a psak from a Rav or Posaik.

Interactive AI Features

• App-Controlled Features: Using smartphone apps to control AI hearing aids would likely be forbidden according to all poskim, as it involves operating electronic devices on Shabbos without a Pikuach Nefesh heter.
• Manual AI Mode Activation: Features like Starkey’s “Edge Mode+” that can be activated by tapping the device would likely be forbidden because they involve actively turning on additional electronic functions during Shabbos since there is no Pikuach Nefesh element.
• Internet-Connected Features: Translation services, transcription, or any features requiring internet connectivity would likely be forbidden as they involve telecommunications and remote electronic operations.

Speaking to People with AI Hearing Aids

This is where the pre-existing disagreement among poskim becomes more complex with AI technology.

When you speak to someone with an AI hearing aid, your voice triggers:

• Millions of neural network calculations per second
• Real-time environmental analysis and adjustment
• Machine learning algorithm updates
• Much more intensive electronic processing than traditional hearing aids

Rav Auerbach’s Approach Applied to AI

Following Rav Auerbach’s reasoning, speaking to someone with an AI hearing aid may be permitted because:

• The electronic activity, while more intensive, still happens automatically as part of the device’s normal operation
• The rapid electronic changes occur at frequencies that don’t constitute halachically significant circuit completion
• Increasing electronic current and processing is permitted when it’s part of the device’s intended function

Since Rav Auerbach explicitly permitted speaking to people with traditional hearing aids, and AI processing is just more advanced versions of the same electronic sound processing, he would likely have permitted speaking to people with AI hearing aids as well.

Strict Approaches Applied to AI

Poskim who were concerned about the electronic activity caused by speaking to traditional hearing aid users might be more concerned about AI hearing aids because:

• The electronic processing is more intensive
• The electronic activity extends beyond basic amplification to complex computational processing

However, even the stricter poskim might permit it because the AI processing is automatic when configured before Shabbos.

Practical Considerations

For most people following the halachic approaches that have emerged in the past few decades, speaking normally to someone with an AI hearing aid would likely be permitted. The AI processi operates on the same basic principle of automatic electronic sound processing that many poskim already permit.

Those following stricter approaches to electricity on Shabbos might want to consult with a posek who understands AI technology, since the electronic processing is significantly more intensive than what earlier poskim were considering.

Special AI Features

Some AI hearing aids can translate foreign languages or transcribe speech to text. These features typically require internet connectivity and cloud processing.

Internet-based translation would likely be forbidden according to all poskim because it involves telecommunications activity, remote server processing, potential commercial transactions (data usage), and operating complex electronic systems beyond the basic hearing aid function.

Local translation that works entirely within the hearing aid’s processors might be more analogous to permitted automatic AI functions, but it would still involve significant new electronic activity beyond sound amplification.

Voice Assistants and Smart Features

Integration with Siri, Google Assistant, or similar systems would clearly be forbidden as it involves internet connectivity and operating external electronic systems.

Health Emergency Features

Fall detection and emergency calling features present an interesting case because they involve pikuach nefesh considerations.

Fall detection that operates through motion sensors would be permitted and probably required because it could save lives. Automatic emergency calling would also be permitted when it activates automatically in response to detected emergencies, since pikuach nefesh overrides Shabbos restrictions.

User-activated emergency features (like pressing a button to call for help) would also be permitted under pikuach nefesh principles.

Practical Guidelines for Different Approaches

For Followers of the More Lenient View (Rav Auerbach, Rav Feinstein, Rav Henkin)

AI hearing aids with automatic functions would be broadly permitted when:

• The devices are turned on and fully configured before Shabbos
• All AI features operate automatically without user intervention during Shabbos
• Internet connectivity and smartphone apps are disabled
• Battery life is sufficient for the entire Shabbos period
• Special boost modes that drain batteries quickly are avoided before Shabbos

Speaking to people with AI hearing aids would likely be permitted, and the intensive AI processing would be viewed as an advanced form of the permitted electronic sound processing.

For Followers of Stricter Positions (Rav Karelitz, Rav Elyashiv)

Even strict poskim may perhaps permit:

• Basic AI processing when the device is turned on before Shabbos as a complete unit
• Automatic environmental adaptation and sound processing
• Health monitoring sensors operating passively
• Fall detection due to pikuach nefesh considerations

They might prefer:

• Avoiding the most intensive AI processing modes
• Speaking to someone else within earshot rather than directly to the AI hearing aid user
• Consulting with a posek about specific AI features that go significantly beyond traditional sound amplification

Universal Prohibitions Across All Positions

All poskim would likely forbid:

• Using smartphone apps to control hearing aids during Shabbos
• Manually activating AI boost modes or special features
• Using voice commands to control the devices
• Accessing internet-connected features like translation or transcription
• Changing batteries or charging devices during Shabbos
• Any active electronic troubleshooting or device management

Each person should clarify with their own Rav or Posaik which approach to follow.

Preparing AI Hearing Aids for Shabbos

Technical Preparation

• Turn on all desired automatic AI features before Shabbos begins
• Ensure battery levels are adequate for extended use, considering that AI processing consumes more power
• Disable or disconnect internet-based features and smartphone app connectivity
• Set the devices to automatic operation mode rather than manual control modes
• Test that all automatic functions are working properly

Some users may want to put tape over manual controls to prevent accidental activation, following Rav Henkin’s approach for traditional hearing aids.

Understanding Your Device’s AI Features

Before Shabbos, users should understand which of their hearing aid’s features operate automatically and which require manual activation. Features that work automatically when the device is on (like environmental scanning, basic noise reduction, and health monitoring) would generally be permitted. Features that require activation during use (like special boost modes, voice commands, or app-based adjustments) would be forbidden.

Battery Management for AI Hearing Aids

Since AI processing uses significantly more battery power than traditional hearing aids, battery management becomes more critical for Shabbos observance.

For rechargeable hearing aids, ensure full charging before Shabbos. For battery-powered models, consider changing to fresh batteries before Shabbos if current batteries are not at full capacity. Avoid using power-intensive AI modes before Shabbos if battery life is a concern.

Questions About Multi-Day Yom Tov

When Shabbos is combined with Yom Tov for multiple consecutive days, AI hearing aids present additional challenges due to their higher power consumption.

For multi-day holidays, users need to ensure their hearing aids can operate for the entire period without charging or battery changes. Some poskim permit asking a non-Jew to charge devices or change batteries on Yom Tov (though not on Shabbos) when necessary for a choleh she’ein bo sakanah.

The power-intensive nature of AI processing makes planning even more important for extended holiday periods.

For specific guidance on multi-day holiday situations, consult with your Rav or Posaik.

Future Developments and Halachic Considerations

Emerging AI Technologies

Future AI hearing aids may include even more sophisticated features like:

• Individual voice recognition that learns to identify specific family members or friends
• Advanced health monitoring that can detect medical emergencies beyond falls
• Integration with smart home systems for automated environmental control
• More sophisticated language processing and communication assistance

Halachic Framework for New Technologies

The basic framework established by poskim for hearing aids and applied to AI features will likely continue to apply:

• Automatic functions that operate as part of the device’s normal operation when turned on before Shabbos will generally be permitted
• Features requiring active user control during Shabbos will be forbidden
• Internet connectivity and external device control will remain problematic
• Health and safety features will benefit from pikuach nefesh considerations

The Need for Ongoing Consultation

As AI hearing aids become more sophisticated, the technology may go beyond what current poskim have considered. Users of advanced AI hearing aids should maintain contact with poskim who understand both the technology and the relevant halachic principles.

The rapid pace of technological development means that new features may require fresh halachic analysis, building on the established framework but considering new technological capabilities.

Conclusion: Technology in Service of Human Dignity

AI hearing aids represent a remarkable advancement that can dramatically improve people’s ability to hear, communicate, and participate fully in family and community life.

Rav Waldenberg’s insight that we cannot create endless new restrictions for technological advances (Responsa Tzitz Eliezer vol. 6 §6:6) remains relevant. The sophisticated AI processing that makes modern hearing aids so effective may serve the same fundamental purpose as traditional hearing aids – restoring the ability to hear and participate in human communication, but this needs to be addressed by Gedolei haPoskim.

The key is understanding the technology well enough to distinguish between automatic functions that operate as part of the device’s intended purpose and interactive features that require active control. When AI hearing aids are properly configured before Shabbos and used only in automatic mode, they can possibly provide remarkable benefits while respecting the framework of Shabbos observance.

As Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach’s approach demonstrates, rapid electronic activity that happens automatically as part of a device’s intended function does not necessarily constitute prohibited melachah on Shabbos. This principle, established for much simpler hearing aids, may extend naturally to the sophisticated AI processing that makes modern hearing aids so effective.

For anyone considering AI hearing aids, consultation with both hearing healthcare providers and knowledgeable poskim is essential.  As with all complex halachic matters, final decisions should always be made in consultation with one’s own Rav or Posaik.

Remember to always ask your own Rav. May we all be zocheh to hear the great Shofar blast of the Geulah soon!

***A Yesoma is getting married soon. If anyone wishes to donate toward the chasunah please click here. https://shulspace.org/yeshiva-of-kings-bay/donationForm?CN=1487

The author can be reached at [email protected]  Much of the halachic information in this article came from the research of Rabbi Gil Busch in a Hakirah article, a forthcoming work about electricity in Halacha by Dr. Yisrael Ury and Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein and the work of Carlt Sygrove on HearingTracker.