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.
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.
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
>"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
maybe they need a strong union and strikes?
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.
No need to waste people's time with an "AI agent".
Service providers have been doing that since forever.
no additional time is being wasted compared to a recorded message.
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.
voakbasda•37m ago
Classic case of “of course they knew what could go wrong, and that is exactly why they chose that solution.”