Why 911 Centers Are Turning to AI as Staffing Shortages Grow
911 centers are so understaffed, they’re turning to AI to answer calls and handle non-emergencies faster.
Matilda
Why 911 Centers Are Turning to AI as Staffing Shortages Grow Why 911 Centers Are Turning to AI as Staffing Shortages Grow 911 centers are so understaffed, they’re turning to AI to answer calls —and it might be the biggest shift in emergency response technology in decades. Across the U.S., dispatchers are overwhelmed, response times are rising, and cities are desperate for solutions. AI could be the tool that helps keep communities safe without burning out human operators. Image Credits:AndreyPopov / Getty Images From Hair Salons to Emergency Tech When entrepreneur Max Keenan joined Y Combinator’s summer 2022 batch, he wasn’t thinking about emergency services. His startup, Aurelian , was focused on automating appointment bookings for hair salons. But one small frustration changed everything. A salon client complained that the school carpool line next door blocked her parking lot. She called the city’s non-emergency line and waited 45 minutes before reaching a dispatcher. That sparked a question: why was such a simple issue tying up critical call center …