New Orleans is using AI to triage 911 calls in case of backlog(consumerrights.wiki) |
New Orleans is using AI to triage 911 calls in case of backlog(consumerrights.wiki) |
911 calls answered by AI in New Orleans [video] – 2026-08-11 – https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49258252
New Orleans is testing Carbyne’s AI-powered Emergency Call Triage software – 2026-08-07 – https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49204546
>"Anyone calling 911 within a 200-meter radius of a live auto accident is now immediately routed to the AI agent"
>"the tool engages only for motor vehicle accident calls, only when every human call taker is already busy, & only when the caller is within about 200 meters of a crash that has already been reported."
this seems very reasonable to me
No need to waste people's time with an "AI agent".
Service providers have been doing that since forever.
no additional time is being wasted compared to a recorded message.
I have seen some AI call tech before and it can work really well. Obviously depends on their implementation but imo a great use of technology.
It's also highly likely that the cost savings projections are optimistic and they will be back at the table a year from now saying that the only way to realize the projected savings is to divert more calls to the AI and further reduce staffing.
Until, of course, it isn’t - but at that point, the budget is reallocated, there’s no funding, there’s simply nothing we can do except continue to pay this AI contract.
Classic case of “of course they knew what could go wrong, and that is exactly why they chose that solution.”
maybe they need a strong union and strikes?
Everything can be handled by playing a message and reading a response with far superior, refined, cheaper and privacy-respecting technology than voice recognition - pushing a button.
presumably so that if you start shouting about the heart attack you are having, that you dont need to wait until the end of the prerecorded message to get routed to a human operator
im not sure if you've ever been in a panic-filled emergency situation and had to dial 911, but the easier and more adaptable you can make it, the better. requiring button pushes, or anything else other than voice, should be avoided if possible.
this comes across as one of the best possible use cases of ai to me: only used in strict circumstances when human operators are busy, with the goal of deduping calls and reducing 911 queues.
and its been working really well, from the looks of it, for 3 years now
So far it hasn't made anything easier (support call lines are the proof of that).
I understand the picture of that outcome, which you'd like to have, but our real world experience just doesn't support it.
> requiring button pushes, or anything else other than voice, should be avoided if possible.
Well, even movie tropes often show, how that is not the case. You might be able to push a button safely, if the intruder in your house, but will be unable to comply with "I couldn't hear you, could you speak in a loud and clear voice?" without compromising your safety.
> and its been working really well
No caller satisfaction surveys, no comparison with tried and true button approach, just statements from parties with vested interest.
my real-world experience supports what i said.
>Well, even movie tropes often show,
if you are going to rely on what you've seen in movies as your evidence, i think this conversation is already over.
if you are going to rely on what you've seen in movies as your evidence
If you going to twist my words in order to mask weakness of your position and ignore the arguments, "I think this conversation is already over" (what a childish thing to say, I cringe even copying this).