u/G___________G

I had my audiogram for the medical this week, and the doctor pointed out that I am right on the edge of what is considered normal hearing in a limited section of the frequency range. 5 more decibels, and I am in the "mild hearing loss" area, apparently. Clearly, I need a bike helmet with more padding since the crotch rocket seems to be eating away at my hearing.

How is mild hearing loss treated in ATC/Nav? Are controllers allowed some leeway/hearing aids/etc?

On a side note, now I have an excuse to forget/ignore what my girlfriend says :)

So, I mentioned to my folks that I'm pursuing ATC, and my old man (career tech/software dev) immediately brought up the possibility of it being replaced by AI.

On one hand, I can see this happening - AI excels in simple, repetitive tasks in a framework; ATC is also less "visible" to passengers/the public than pilots are - nobody will get on a pilotless plane... a plane routed by AI, on the other hand, is an easier pill to swallow.

On the other hand, AI is still too young for this; passenger/public fear is a thing, and (at least in Canada, I don't know about other countries) there's a union providing protection.

What do you guys think are the chances of this happening?