Due to severe staffing shortages, 911 dispatch centers in cities across the United States are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to handle emergency calls. The technology, which is being adopted by both rural and major metropolitan areas, uses AI-powered voice agents to answer non-critical emergency calls and filter out misdials. The goal is to free up human dispatchers to focus on high-priority emergencies like fires and active crimes. Proponents of the technology say it can also reduce caller wait times, which have reportedly led to an increase in calls being abandoned. Despite the potential benefits, the move has raised concerns among critics who worry about the reliability of the AI in high-stakes situations. While the AI is typically designed to transfer any call requiring human intervention, there is a risk of misinterpretation or failure in a life-or-death scenario. These centers are facing a crisis of understaffing due to low pay, high stress, and long hours, making AI an attractive but controversial solution.
