Stäfa, Switzerland – March 24, 2026 - Phonak, a global leader in innovative hearing solutions, today announced that its Virto R Infinio and Infinio Ultra Sphere hearing aids have been named winners in the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards, presented by the Business Intelligence Group (BIG).
The annual awards program recognizes organizations, products, and technologies that are applying artificial intelligence to drive measurable impact across industries.
Both Phonak products earned recognition in the health category for leveraging AI to dynamically enhance speech clarity and reduce background noise, enabling better
“This recognition reinforces our commitment to developing intelligent hearing solutions that automatically adapt to changing sound environments,” said Oliver Frank, Vice President of Phonak Marketing. “By applying AI in meaningful ways, we're empowering people with hearing loss to communicate more effortlessly in the real world.”
Pushing AI forward in meaningful ways
Phonak Virto R Infinio
AI is used to recognize the listening environment (e.g., quiet, speech-in-noise, music) and automatically adjust hearing aid settings in real time. It acts as an intelligent control system that optimizes features like noise reduction and directionality to deliver a seamless, personalized listening experience.
Phonak Infinio Ultra Sphere
AI is used to directly process the sound signal in real time, separating speech from background noise using a deep neural network. Instead of only adjusting settings, it enhances the speech signal itself, making
Since its launch in 2025, the Virto R Infinio has received multiple awards, including the 2026 iF Design Award, 2025 Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM’s) Hearing Technology Innovator Award and the 2026 Business Intelligence Group (BIG) Innovation Award. The Infinio Ultra Sphere also received the 2026 iF Design Award earlier this month.
This BIG AI award underscores Phonak’s leadership in applying AI to hearing technology, combining medical-grade innovation with intuitive, user-focused design to enhance the hearing experience for millions worldwide.
For more information about the award-winning
