New Orleans is using AI to triage 911 calls in case of backlog(consumerrights.wiki)

15 pointsby basilikum3 hours ago10 comments

basilikum3 hours ago
Related:
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
john_strinlai3 hours ago
>"The pattern was every morning and evening during rush hour, there would be an accident, and hundreds of callers called in about the same thing."
>"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
- ambicapter3 hours ago
  How does "the tool" know its a motor vehicle accident call, and how does it know when the caller is within 200 meters of an already reported crash? Seems like the screening will have to happen on all calls.
  - ikidd3 hours ago
    Your approximate location is automatically determined by cell tower triangulation and fed to emergency services when you call. It's very common now.
  - 3 hours ago
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  - infecto3 hours ago
    The key part being it’s only when there is a surge and queue of calls. Crash calls will most likely 99% of the time if not 100 be from cell phones. I am guess the AI agent will ask for a description of the call.
    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.
  - elil173 hours ago
    It uses location data to see if you're near an existing crash, but it uses AI to see if it's a motor vehicle accident call.
  - toast03 hours ago
    e911 gets the location. Presumably one of the dispatchers working the calls will mark it as a motor vehicle accident.
  - 3 hours ago
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- Insimwytim3 hours ago
  Reasonable would be to play a message "We know about the accident on Elm Street, we're already dispatched a team, if you're calling about that, you may hang up".
  No need to waste people's time with an "AI agent".
  Service providers have been doing that since forever.
  - john_strinlai3 hours ago
    this is exactly what it does, except if you are a part of the accident or reporting something else, it routes you to a human operator.
    no additional time is being wasted compared to a recorded message.
    Insimwytim3 hours ago
    Why use "AI" then?
    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.
    john_strinlai3 hours ago
    >Why use "AI" then?
    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
    Insimwytim2 hours ago
    I think the impression, that "AI" would make it easier is not only far-fetched, but utterly misguided.
    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.
- infecto3 hours ago
  Very reasonable and also a good use of the technology imo. Like all things it depends on the implementation but I can see this adding a lot of value for 911 call centers.
- ceejayoz3 hours ago
  I do hope there's a "when fifty people call within 200 meters all at once" escalation somewhere in this flowchart.
injidup3 hours ago
The assumption that because something is important and the consequences are dire when it fails, infinite resources should be allocated is simply wrong. At some point 911 calls will be backlogged. What to do then? Maybe AI triage is the best of the worst options.
- jordanb3 hours ago
  Was New Orleans "investing infinite resources" before? It seems like as always the pitch here is you fire a bunch of existing 911 operators and split the projected cost savings with an AI company.
  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.
  - john_strinlai3 hours ago
    [dead]
- fcarraldo3 hours ago
  The assumption is more that, given tools to automate the “less important” parts of important processes, this starts a slippery slope where capitalism will squeeze as many humans as possible out of the job to reduce costs because the “AI is good enough.”
  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.
- gchamonlive3 hours ago
  Problem is always handling bias and preventing human abuse, specially in law enforcement tools.
voakbasda3 hours ago
Good idea. Law enforcement is always looking for new ways to avoid responsibility for its shortcomings and failures. Now they can blame an AI.
Classic case of “of course they knew what could go wrong, and that is exactly why they chose that solution.”
selimthegrim3 hours ago
This was debunked, it was in a very limited case of repeat calls from an accident scene.
jimbo8083 hours ago
This is a slippery slope, where the number of operators can be allowed to gradually decline until eventually it’s just AI. And given the unreliability of LLMs, this is a grave concern that will undoubtedly lead to the enshittification of critical services.
nipunaeka893 hours ago
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danqqq3 hours ago
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qHasG3 hours ago
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pibaker3 hours ago
I don't understand how we can keep giving the police shiny new toys and juicy overtime pays but can't find enough people to take 911 calls.
- nemomarx3 hours ago
  If you don't give the cops their toys, they might go on a work strike, threaten politicians, or whatever. If you don't give 911 operators money and more seats the backlash is much more muted.
  maybe they need a strong union and strikes?