BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas (KRHD) — The Brazos County 911 District is implementing artificial intelligence (AI) to answer non-emergency calls, aiming to reduce wait times and ease the burden on overworked dispatchers.
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The new AI system is designed to handle routine inquiries while allowing human dispatchers to focus on critical emergency calls coming through the 911 line.
"We understand that people are nervous whenever new technology is rolled out, but we really think this can add some value to what we provide the citizens of Brazos County," said Patrick Corley, executive director of the Brazos County 911 District.
The move comes as the dispatch center faces an overwhelming call volume. Last year alone, the center handled 200,000 non-emergency calls — four times the number of true emergencies.
"It allows us to focus on those, more important calls that come in on the 911 line," Corley said.
The executive director believes the AI implementation will significantly improve service quality for emergency callers.
"We think that it will vastly improve the level of service we're providing to those who call 911," Corley said.
Community reactions to the AI integration are mixed.
Some residents, like David Laine of Bryan, welcome the technological advancement.
"I just think we have to embrace the speed of change now in the world we live in," Laine said.
However, others express concerns about losing the human element in emergency services.
Colleen Blair, also a Bryan resident, worries about the personal connection being lost.
"I feel like it takes away the personal effect of a person's job. It replaces them with a computer service and to me people need to be answered by people," Blair said.
Addressing skepticism about the new technology, Corley emphasized the district's commitment to thorough testing before full implementation.
"We're gonna work on programming the back end until it gets to where it needs to be before it's rolled out," Corley said.
Despite varying opinions, residents acknowledge that technological change is inevitable.
"I think AI is coming no matter if we like it or not. It's here. We're gonna have to, you know, kind of like possibly address ourselves to it," Blair said.
Laine expressed confidence in the district's careful approach to the rollout.
"I think that they'll move cautiously and slowly, and I think the outcome will be a benefit to our community," Laine said.
The system is currently in early testing phases. If testing proceeds successfully, the district hopes to permanently implement the AI system early next year.
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