Could Your Voice Be Holding Clues to Your Brain’s Future?

Remember the 2013 romantic sci-fi movie Her where Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with his AI assistant? While we’re still waiting for Scarlett Johansson to whisper sweet nothings into our AirPods, the voice-tech revolution has taken a more practical, and potentially life-saving, turn—an aid for better brain health. 

Joanna Peña-Bickley, one of the brains behind Amazon’s Alexa, is building something that will fundamentally change how we think about aging. She’s the cofounder and CEO of Vibes AI, a company at the intersection of AI, wearable technology, and cognitive wellness that can predict whether you’re headed for cognitive decline. Yes, your future self’s mental clarity might literally be written in how you say, “Hey Siri.”

But beyond being able to predict signs of burnout and Alzheimer’s, how exactly can AI support brain health? Peña-Bickley and host Cory Corrine explore the future that we’re already living in on The Intersect.

How Vibes AI is using voice analysis to detect early signs of cognitive decline

When we speak, vocal vibrations create patterns that reflect our mental and emotional states. Vibes AI’s technology analyzes these voice biomarkers to measure cognitive function and track changes over time.

Peña-Bickley’s personal experience watching her father’s 15-year battle with dementia shaped her mission: to give people tools to understand and protect their brain health long before traditional symptoms emerge. “We think about it two times in our lives: early childhood and around the age of 65 when Medicaid and Medicare pipe in to say, ‘It’s time for a cognitive health test.’ It feels too late,” she explains.

While we routinely check our vision, blood pressure, and cholesterol, cognitive function often goes unchecked until problems become obvious. By that point, significant neural changes may have already occurred. But research supports the connection between early detection and outcomes. Contrary to popular belief, lifestyle interventions can slow or even reverse cognitive decline when caught early. 

“Most people don’t know this. Most people think it’s a death sentence to the end. You can combat this. You can have the Alzheimer’s gene, but your lifestyle is the trigger,” Peña-Bickley explains.

Connecting hearing and brain health

One of the most surprising findings in brain research involves the connection between hearing loss and cognitive health. Statistically, your ears process about 32 gigabytes of data every hour. If you lose your hearing, even a little, that data source gets shut off. You’re more likely to suffer mild cognitive decline earlier if you have poor hearing. Your brain, deprived of its usual audio feed, starts working overtime to fill in the gaps. Over time, this extra effort can accelerate mental fatigue and contribute to dementia risk.

“We take care of our eyes. We think of vision as sensory input, but we don’t take care of our ears,” Peña-Bickley says. “Your ears shape not only how you hear the world but the way you understand the world.”

AI and wearable tech might extend our joy span

There’s a lot of shame around aging and hearing loss. Most of us think about brain health like we think about retirement savings—something to worry about later. Peña-Bickley wants to change that entirely.

“We might be chasing healthspan, [but] what I really think we are chasing is those moments of more joy in our lives,” Peña-Bickley says.

It’s a compelling reframe. Instead of just trying to live longer, why not live better? And if your voice can give you a heads-up about potential problems years before they become obvious, why wouldn’t you want that information? 

To learn more about how Vibes AI is improving brain health, tune into The Intersect and check out the innovative neurotech company’s work.