For dispatch centers, AI can be useful, but never replace ‘the human factor'
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Besides education and the job market, artificial intelligence has the potential to dramatically change how authorities respond to emergencies.
When an emergency call via 911 arrives at a dispatch center, speed and accuracy are vital, but the extreme stress and sense of urgency can make it easy to forget key information.
That's where AI comes in.
Smart Response Technologies' new program Delphine aims to provide a security blanket – a backstop – for dispatchers without threatening their jobs.
The company, located out of West Chester in Lebanon, made this program to assist dispatchers in live transcribing 911 calls, all with the use of AI. The AI will transcribe in real time, but also highlight key words.
The technology was recently shown off at a demo at The Hub in downtown Dayton. A firefighter's mayday call triggers the program to flash an alert on the dispatch screen.
The artificial intelligence runs on a separate computer, only needing to be utilized if a dispatcher needs to refer to previous information.
Tim Shaw, the president of Smart Response Technologies, said the demo gets rave reviews anywhere he goes, with people surprised AI could be utilized in this way.
'Think of this as nothing more than closed captioning for a dispatcher,' said Shaw. 'If you've been in dispatching for years, you may not need this, but it's up there. I've had a lot of dispatchers tell me 'I watch TV at home closed-captioned because it keeps the focus. This is exactly what I need.''
Shaw said that this program was made to strictly assist dispatchers, not replace them. He said AI will never replace a human dispatcher for three reasons:
AI can't make the necessary ethical decisions and snap judgments.
AI can't pick up the nuance of a voice on a phone like a human can.
AI can't develop intuition, the gut instinct that law enforcement and responders often use as a clue.
Responders at the Montgomery County Dispatch Center said they had a chance to look over Delphine, as well as similar programs. They said that while it can be a useful resource, it's not a replacement.
'AI can definitely be utilized within the dispatch center,' said Capt. Jay Wheeler with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. 'It's not going to replace the dispatchers by any stretch.'
Wheeler said they're utilizing AI in quality assurance reviews, looking over calls from previous days and making a transcript of them.
He said programs like Delphine can be useful, but it can never replace dispatchers because there are still things that AI can't do.
'Thinking outside the box and the AI isn't necessarily going to do that,' said Wheeler. 'There's times where people call in here and they just don't know where they're at.'
Wheeler and Smart Response Technologies' Shaw both agree that while AI can be useful for dispatchers, it will always miss out on one important element: that human factor.
'AI is never going to replace that human factor in the dispatch center,' said Wheeler. 'It's not going to hear the emotion of the caller, and slang and things like that, that the dispatchers are going to be able to understand quicker.'
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