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Comment on New Orleans is using AI to triage 911 calls in case of backlogparent

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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.

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.

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

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.

but our real world experience just doesn't support it.

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
I didn't.

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).

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