This will kill people.
this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2026
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Yes. So many. Everyone involved in this decision, on both the legislative and corporate sides, needs to get the fucking wall.
But it's new Orleans, so some of the difficult to emotionally comprehend number of deaths it causes might at least be funny.
I have mixed feelings on this and how they are implementing it. Here's the direct quote
This is intended to handle the increase of calls that are related to one incident, so callers get automatically routed to an AI agent who asks if they are calling regarding the incident. If the answer is yes, then callers can receive information or updates, and if it's no, then the callers are transferred to a human.
In a way this will reduce caller volume for the same incidents being called in over and over again. Seems like they are using a direct yes or no question which decreases any issues with the AI making shit up.
I do see how this can free up humans to deal with other calls and dispatch lifesaving services faster, eliminating repeat calls.
However, even if the AI works as described (which is a big if anyway), having to navigate even a simple yes or no will reduce time to lifesaving care.
Our 911 system has been slow and inadequate for a long time now. There has been an absolute refusal to fix it, and this has led to deaths. I do see this application easing that issue a bit, but I also see how this will cause deaths in a different way. Is it better to die on hold waiting for an operator or is it better to die navigating an AI system? I think less would die overall with the new system. It has been trained using the non-emergency call line.
To be clear I want us to just fund people to staff the 911 call center, but these shortages have been an issue for decades. Local governments refuse or are unable to take on the additional costs. I'm really unsure on how to feel about all this. My gut reaction is disgust, but I do see what they are trying to do. I guess we'll have to wait for the data and stories
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But...just think how many money they can save! You are being selfish!
/s
Yeah, I can just imagine how well a "AI" would deal with a situation like this when they can't even operate a drive-thru properly.
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People will die.
Yeah but it's just poor people so who cares. Look at the sweet pool the AI company bought whoever approved this!
Sounds like tiered classes of privatized healthcare is well under way. Platinum trauma team subscriptions are getting closer.
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Grok911, what is your emergency and do you know about the genocide of white South Africans?
Would you like to read some Lolita fanfic while I’m thinking?
"Activate your camera so you can face time with my anime girl avatar"
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What could go wrong
"Please help! I'm trapped in a basement and there's a man with a gun!"
"Wow! I think it's great that you're looking to leave your comfort zone. There's a lot to see outside the basement, so it's good to broaden your horizons. There are a few options to solve your predicament that we can workshop together. First, are you stuck behind a door, or are you physically incapable of moving? In both cases, I think your best bet is to ask the man with the gun to lend a hand. If there is a door in the way, the man with the gun can shoot out the lock and open that door in no time. But if you aren't able to move, I'd say the man could help carry you out of that basement, too. While we wait for the man to assist, would you like some basement decorating ideas to make your current situation more pleasant?"
"No you don't understand, he is trying to kill me!"
"Wow, that is a lot to unpack! It seems like you believe this man means you harm, but you don't seem to have any logical basis for those feelings. Based on the circumstances, it sounds like you may be misinterpreting helpful vibes as scary due to flaws in your social perception, which could indicate an unhealthy pattern of self-destructive behavior. The first step to help always starts from within, but I can recommend some local therapists in your area who could better address the feelings you have in the long term."
(...)
You’re right to push back. I understand why you’re upset, and I’m sorry you experienced that.
If you’re still in danger, please try to remain calm, find a secure location, and contact emergency services.
What would you like to do next? Shall I help you:
✅ Review what happened,
💭 Think through your options,
🫂 Find appropriate support, or
📝 Draft a statement about the incident?
I’m here to help.
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the ai when you tell it you’re being murdered
Everyone should read before reacting:
This is intended to handle the increase of calls that are related to one incident, so callers get automatically routed to an AI agent who asks if they are calling regarding the incident. If the answer is yes, then callers can receive information or updates, and if it's no, then the callers are transferred to a human.
This makes sense. A big thing happens that you are aware of. Geolocated calls from that area flood in. An operator, who could be getting useful info, has to handle a flood of "Guess what I just saw!"
Note that I think they should spend the money on more operators instead, but at least this seems like it has good guardrails.
Except that could be done without AI. Just have a recording that says "we are aware of ... taking place near you, are you calling about this ? “, then answer with yes/no.
No need for bullshit AI.
My understanding from other articles is caller satisfaction is greater with the TTS system, and it uses voice IVR to triage of they have additional information. AI is not bullshit in and of itself. This product seems barely diffeent from what they provided with APEX.
Recordings also can't auto respond with updates to the caller like this can, which is a pretty nice feature, even if it's just TTS.
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How many operators to handle say 100 calls in 5 minutes? Now imagine the cost to staff a small 911 center to ensure your can handle those calls 24/7. The money doesn't exist.
Butts in seats don't exist right now either. As long as the fancy ivr allows the caller to reach a human with minimal effort, this seems like a scary sounding but neat assistant to a problem without a real solution.
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:sigh: Yet again, nobody reads the fucking article and it is VERY obvious from most of the comments. If you can't be bothered, then don't fucking comment.
If you had READ the article: They're answering with the AI saying like "Are you calling about X?" If the callers says no, they are transferred to a human. If they ARE calling about an incident, then they can get updates and information about it.
Now, I grant that this is still not perfect, but the stated goal is humans spending less time talking to people reporting an incident already reported so they can actually talk to people needing help faster.
Assuming that works out, this is actually a good idea and an improvement.
Now, if you wanna be cynical about it, fine. But just read the damn article and be cynical about what's actually happening, not about what you think from the headline, or all you end up looking like an ass.
I came into the comments to have a good discussion on the issue. I should have known better. I'm so irritated by the majority of comments that I lost interested in the topic itself, even though there's at least one ofther comment I saw also pointing out what the article says. But no, the majority of you can't be bothered, so screw this. And you bitch about reddit.
Still, it’s a sloppy headline designed for clicks or thumbs up. It would be more accurate if it was “AI is to initially screen calls….”
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You don't need "ai" for this though. IVRs have been doing this for literal decades. Your average dialup ISP had a standard option for times of outages ffs.
Yeah, its not handling "my grandma is dying pls send emt" calls, but more "The concert hall is on fire" call #450.
That being said, I disagree with most applications of AI that prevent human interaction. Just because im the 40th person calling about a situation doesnt mean my call is useless, it means i might have new information on an evolving situation.
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You are absolutely right to call me out on that. He did break in, and he is now stabbing you. I will adjust for this in the future. Is there anything else I can help you with?
Please listen closely to our menu as our options have recently changed...
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People are going to die because of that, even if AI is merely handling call "triage".
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This certainly couldn't go wrong
This is exhausting y'all. God I fucking hate LLMs so much. This tech could be such a exciting break through, a step towards real artificial intelligence, but stuck in academia where it belongs. Instead of getting to be excited and interested this inanimate compilation of matrices is breathing down my neck constantly.
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Fortunately those most directly involved in the decision have put their names on record to be held criminally accountable should any deaths occur that might have been avoided by the use of human operators and have thereby promised not to fade into the background when it all goes wrong.
They won't ever be held accountable by any legal process.
Press 1 if your being raped press 2 if someone is trying to kill you please hold.
You have selected "regicide". If you know the name of the king or queen being murdered, press 1...
I love this gag!
Working my way through Person of Interest again. Just watched one where a search company was directing suicidal inquiries to ads instead of helplines. And that was before they get bought by the evil AI overlord. Its surreal seeing Palantir, Flock and all the tech companies race to implement a dystopia no sane person would ever want and there is so little push back. What the fuck is wrong with regular people?
Capitalism creating situations that won't outright be responsible for murder, but will definitely increase deaths among vulnerable people.
Evolution selecting for good capitalists.
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Wow! With all the calls in NOLA… seems like one of the dumbest things to use during someone’s emergency! What if someone was being kidnapped and an open line and the AI voice is going to try to keep talking therefore, killing the individual because they heard the damn AI voice repeating shit to try to answer the call!
People are going to die and many civil suits and wrongful death suits are going to be filed and TAX payers are going to have to pay for each damn suit! So in the long run… NO AI for a damn EMERGENCY LINE! This will NOT save money or lives!!
AIneOneOne: I understand your concern that you had an accident and hit a tree — a lost limb hurts, but did you know that oak trees are are hosts to more caterpillar species than any other species in North America?
[Waning consciousness] ...help...
Sure! I can help you with that!
One of the most fascinating facts about oak trees is that they function almost like wildlife restaurants—especially for caterpillars, which are essential food for birds and many other animals.
Here are some useful facts:
🌳 Oaks are the No. 1 caterpillar-producing plant genus in North America. Ecologist Doug Tallamy and colleagues compiled host-plant records and found that oaks (Quercus) support more species of caterpillars than any other plant genus.
🐛 In the Mid-Atlantic alone, oaks support about 557 species of caterpillars. That's [wall of text]
[Death]
Would you like to learn more about the different species of oak around the world?
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Can I get desperately needed help please??? N.O.
What could possibly go wrong?
Bro what
What kind of stupid politician is claiming to be working as the people's representative with this policy?
There will be plenty of lawsuits in the Red Run Louisiana Oblast.
Fuck this is dark.
If the people profiting from this were to be executed when the system cost the first human life, it wouldn't make it to a proposal.
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