Across the conversations we have with 9-1-1 call centers around the country, one question keeps surfacing: How do we help call takers and dispatchers keep up with growing demands without adding more complexity to a process that must be as efficient as possible?
Like most industries, artificial intelligence tools are becoming a major part of the conversation. But the question for 9-1-1 call centers – also known as public safety answering points (PSAPs) - is not only what AI can do; it’s also whether their emergency communications systems are ready to support it.
The pressure on PSAPs is not getting lighter. Emergencies are becoming more complex. Expectations for speed and accuracy are higher than ever. And the people answering calls are being asked to process more information, make faster decisions, and stay steady through it all. As a result, many 9-1-1 leaders are taking a closer look at how AI can help support their operations.
What public safety leaders tell us is that the right AI capabilities can reduce overload, surface the right information faster, and help their teams work more efficiently in high-pressure moments — augmenting, not replacing, the trained professionals at the center of the call. But AI capabilities are only as useful as the environment they run in, and outdated infrastructure was not built to handle advanced applications. That is why the ongoing move to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) — a transition we’ve been leading with public safety agencies for years — matters even more than it did a few years ago. The modern IP- and cloud-based systems that run next-generation infrastructure put PSAPs in a better position to adopt advanced software and AI-enabled tools in ways that can support their real operational needs.
Helping call takers keep up with information in near real time
One of the clearest use cases of AI for PSAPs is AI-enabled transcription and translation.
In an emergency, call takers are listening, typing, assessing, prioritizing, and coordinating all at once. AI-enabled transcription can help by generating near real-time text from live conversations, giving call takers and supervisors another way to quickly review what was said, confirm details, and use keyword tagging and searching to identify important information without having to replay a full recording.
Translation is another area where customers across our NG9-1-1 footprint see strong potential. AI-enabled voice and text translation can help PSAPs communicate more quickly with callers who speak another language, helping reduce delays at a moment when every second matters. When paired with transcription, this capability allows PSAPs to review the full call or text in both English and the caller’s spoken language.
These kinds of capabilities get the most attention because they are directly tied to the day-to-day reality of the job. They can help people work faster, with more clarity and confidence, while staying focused on the caller.
Reducing overload when demand spikes
Another challenge PSAP leaders talk about often is volume, especially during large incidents.
When the same event triggers a flood of duplicate calls, trained personnel can get tied up managing traffic instead of focusing on the people who need immediate help. AI can play a role here too.
With administrative AI interactive voice response (IVR) for non-emergency call triage, callers in a geofenced area tied to an active event can be informed that the PSAP is already aware and coordinating with first responders. That may sound simple, but during a surge event, it can help reduce congestion and preserve staff attention for the most urgent situations.
Importantly, this capability informs — it does not restrict. Callers always retain the ability to reach a live call taker, and the system is designed to handle overlapping or concurrent incidents within the same geographic area without filtering out legitimate emergencies.
This capability is top of mind for the PSAP leaders we work with as they think about how to support their teams, reduce unnecessary strain, and maintain operational stability when demand intensifies — the same resilience principles that have long defined mission-critical communications.
AI works best when it is part of a broader modernization strategy
These capabilities are only made possible with NG9-1-1. By replacing legacy 9-1-1 systems with a modern, IP-based platform, NG9-1-1 helps PSAPs handle growing call volumes, support text and video, and improve the accuracy of location information.
Just as importantly, NG9-1-1 gives agencies a more flexible foundation for the future. With cloud-based technology, PSAPs can access more data, integrate new applications, and take advantage of emerging capabilities — including AI-powered tools.
That’s why the underlying platform matters. NG9-1-1 provides a foundation that can help PSAPs modernize today and adapt to the evolving needs of public safety tomorrow — provided it is built on a carrier-grade, standards-based platform engineered for the reliability needs that public safety demands.
Listening to what customers need next
At AT&T, our work spans the full ecosystem of public safety communications, from the network to the call-handling and mapping partners who help us deliver new capabilities to our NG9-1-1 customers. That breadth gives us a unique vantage point on what’s working in the field, what isn’t, and where innovation will have the greatest operational impact. That starts with listening. We place a high value on customer feedback and continually look for ways to improve the systems that support public safety agencies. One example is the recent upgrade to the portal for our NG9-1-1 emergency communications platform, AT&T ESInet™. The enhanced portal brings dashboards, reporting, and administrative tools together into one streamlined experience — helping reduce complexity and support more efficient day-to-day operations for PSAPs.
From enabling agencies to take advantage of AI capabilities to improving the user experience of our own platform, we remain committed to practical innovation that helps modernize emergency communications. As interest in AI grows, the agencies best positioned to take advantage of it will be the ones that have already invested in modernizing their emergency communications infrastructure with partners that have the experience, scale, and public safety focus to help them get there.