在纽约精英圈子中，AI 助听器创业公司 Fortell 因其在“鸡尾酒会噪声环境”中的显著效果而成为稀缺奢侈品。内部测试显示，Fortell 在多声源环境的语音理解提升中比行业标杆 Phonak 高 9.2 dB，并使用户在最复杂场景下的语音理解概率提高 18.9 倍。公司至今仅生产数十台原型机，测试者包括亿万富翁、演员与体育队老板，价格为 6,800 美元，并仅在纽约一间精品诊所销售，形成强烈排队效应。尽管试用者夸赞其削弱环境噪声的能力，但专家警告其研究条件“对其优势高度友好”，需等待同行评议验证。

Fortell 的技术进展来自两个核心突破：其 AI 团队开发了以“源分离”为中心的算法，通过空间 AI 识别佩戴者关注的声音，再在 10 毫秒 内实时处理；其硬件团队则打造了专用芯片以满足低延迟要求。公司迄今获得 1.5 亿美元 融资，并依靠大量合成数据训练算法，使其在真实噪声场景中表现优于传统基于放大与降噪的助听器。街头与餐馆测试多次引发投资人落泪，促使 KKR 的 Henry Kravis 将投资增加至 620 万美元，并帮助引入更多高净值测试者。

但 Fortell 面临结构性限制：高价格、医保与保险缺乏覆盖、专业调试依赖带来的扩张瓶颈，使其短期内难惠及大众。虽然公司声称未来将扩展至更多城市，但至少未来一年仍采取“白手套”服务模式，每周仅接待几十位客户。专家担心科技被富人垄断，而非改善数百万听障老人的生活。不过，初步用户反馈显示其确实解决了传统助听器最棘手的问题，尤其是在社交嘈杂场景中实现显著提升。

Among New York elites, AI hearing-aid startup Fortell has become a status symbol thanks to its dramatic performance in the “cocktail party problem.” Internal testing shows Fortell improves desired-speech clarity by 9.2 dB over industry leader Phonak, yielding 18.9× higher odds of understanding speech in complex multi-talker noise. Only a few dozen beta units exist, used by billionaires, actors, and team owners; the retail price is $6,800, available exclusively through a single boutique clinic with a long waitlist. Though testers rave about its noise suppression, experts note the evaluation conditions heavily favored Fortell and await peer-reviewed confirmation.

Fortell’s technology rests on two breakthroughs: its AI team built a source-separation engine that uses spatial AI to isolate voices the wearer focuses on, processing audio in under 10 milliseconds; and its hardware team designed a custom chip to meet strict latency demands. The company has raised $150 million and trains its models on vast synthetic datasets to outperform traditional amplification-based hearing aids in real-world noise. Street demos reduced investors to tears, prompting KKR’s Henry Kravis to boost his investment to $6.2 million and introduce additional high-profile testers.

Structural hurdles remain: high cost, minimal insurance coverage, and dependence on professional fitting limit accessibility. With Fortell planning only gradual expansion and maintaining a “white-glove” approach that serves only a few dozen clients per week, widespread adoption is distant. Critics fear the technology will remain concentrated among the wealthy, though early user reports indicate it meaningfully solves the toughest problem in hearing technology—speech comprehension in noisy social environments.