Cochlear implants promise several breakthroughs in the next decade. First and foremost, the most pressing issue is the interpretation and prediction of the large number of individual differences in cochlear implants, and in particular, how to predict postoperative outcomes preoperatively, in order to alleviate the psychological stress of implantation and to have a rational expectation of implantation outcomes. In addition to analyzing factors such as the etiology of deafness, age, and time of day, electrophysiological and psychophysical parameters measured using preoperative extracochlear electrode stimulation can help predict postoperative implantation outcomes. Second, over the next decade, the design of speech processors will vary from person to person, focusing on how to improve speech recognition in poorly functioning patients and how to improve speech recognition in noise and the quality of sound, including the enjoyment of music, in well-functioning patients. The future of cochlear implant deployment will first address the maximum number of channels that each patient can tolerate, and then the number of speech processors and electrodes to stimulate the cochlea will be determined on an individual basis. In the next decade, the development of large-scale integrated circuits will lead to the miniaturization of cochlear implants, making fully implantable cochlear implants possible. Fully implantable cochlear implants may use the patient’s own tympanic membrane as a microphone, utilizing either the body’s bioelectricity or buried batteries in the body to power the speech processor running inside the body. The auditory system can be divided into peripheral and central processing, and cochlear implants bypass the peripheral system and directly stimulate the auditory nerves that connect to the center. In the future, cochlear implants could be an extremely effective research tool to help understand normal auditory function.