AI is Helping 911 Centers to Handle Non-Emergency Calls
Imagine being stuck on hold for ages just to report a minor issue. Well, AI might just be the solution for that. A company called Aurelian is stepping in to help 911 call centers handle the flood of non-emergency calls, like noise complaints or parking violations.
It all started when Max Keenan, the founder, heard about a hair salon owner's frustration with a constantly blocked parking lot. After a long wait to report the issue to the non-emergency line, she expressed her distress to Keenan, which led him to discover the widespread problem of overwhelmed call centers.
Aurelian's AI voice assistant is designed to filter out the less urgent calls, freeing up human dispatchers to focus on real emergencies. It's trained to recognize serious situations and immediately transfer those calls to a human. For other calls, the AI gathers the necessary info and creates a report or relays the details to the police.
Since launching in May 2024, Aurelian's tech is already being used in several 911 dispatch centers. So, why the rush to adopt AI? Because these centers are often short-staffed, and dispatching is a stressful job that can lead to high turnover rates. In fact, emergency dispatchers often have to work overtime, sometimes facing 12 to 16-hour workdays!
The potential impact is pretty significant. As Keenan pointed out, this technology can give these telecommunicators a chance to take a break or go to the bathroom. It's not about replacing people; it's about filling roles that they're struggling to fill anyway.
While Aurelian isn't the only player in this field, they seem to be ahead of the game. According to Mustafa Neemuchwala, a partner at NEA, Aurelian is the only company actually handling live calls right now. That's pretty impressive!
Source: TechCrunch