Tech Pulse 5/18/26

This week on Tech Pulse, we narrate three articles spanning AI-powered dementia care, personal productivity, and hearing health.A startup uses an AI chatbot named Sunny to help dementia patients practice conversation and memory exercises between telehealth visits. Families report brighter moods and improved social engagement, and early data suggest cognitive gains. The approach builds on a Harvard-backed clinical trial, swapping human interviewers for AI.Across the country, people are deploying AI to handle tedious household tasks—comparing insurance plans, automating grocery orders, even scheduling date nights—and reclaiming that time for hobbies and fitness. A new study confirms measurable productivity gains for home AI users, though for some the real measure is whether the freed-up time actually feels meaningful.A large-scale study of more than 57,000 iPhone users finds a striking link between hearing loss and slower walking speed. Researchers say the brain's effort to compensate for poor hearing may shortchange physical coordination and gait. The piece also offers practical steps for testing your hearing and tracking your walking speed before bigger problems develop.Aftersight is a media organization that serves individuals with barriers to print. This podcast is produced by Aftersight under the Chafee Amendment to the Copyright Act which states that authorized nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is to provide copyrighted works in specialized formats to individuals with barriers to print are exempt. By continuing to listen, you verify you are blind, have low vision, or barriers to reading print materials.Chapters:(00:09) - For Dementia Patients, AI Can Be a Good, Non-Judgmental Listener (06:36) - The People Who Are Using AI at Home to Free Up Their Time (11:51) - Walking Slower? Why Your Ears, Not Your Knees, Might Be the Problem