Motorola Solutions uses AI to address delays in 911 emergency calls and improve response times. The company’s Vesta NXT software helps 911 dispatchers collect and summarize data for faster communication. This article is part of the CXO AI Handbook. A candid talk from a business leader. How are we testing and using AI?
Motorola Solutions is a Chicago-based provider of technology and communications solutions focused on public safety and corporate security. We have approximately 21,000 employees worldwide.
Situation analysis: What problem was the company trying to solve?
The National Emergency Number Association estimates that 240 million 911 calls are made each year in the United States. However, fragmented emergency response systems across different agencies and organizations can lead to dangerous delays.
“We hope you never call 911, but when you do, it has to work,” Jehan Wickramasuriya, corporate vice president of AI and platforms at Motorola Solutions, told Business Insider .
He added that the job of a telephone answerer is demanding, can be unpredictable and is often under intense pressure. “When you have a mass shooting or a domestic disturbance, it can be very stressful,” he said. “They’re trying to calm the caller down and at the same time check to see if they need medical help,” while the caller “speaks too fast and doesn’t understand or remember everything said. “It can be difficult to do so,” he said.
Jehan Wickramasuriya is Vice President of AI and Platforms at Motorola Solutions. motorola solutions
Accurately locating the caller adds an additional layer of complexity. Mobile 911 calls are typically routed based on the location of the base station rather than the actual location of the caller. This requires redirecting the call and increases response time by several seconds.
“At the end of the day, this is a data issue because you have to send a lot of information on each call,” Wickramasuriya said.
Motorola Solutions uses AI to consolidate this data into a single platform.
Key staff and stakeholders
The company has built its AI research teams around specialized AI domains such as computer vision, speech and audio processing, rather than individual product lines.
Wickramasuriya said the core AI team is made up of about 50 scientists, developers, and engineers who work closely with hundreds of product managers, designers, and user experience experts. Masu.
Motorola Solutions works with various cloud and technology vendors on AI-enabled products and services.
AI in action
In June, Motorola Solutions launched Vesta NXT, software designed to help 911 call handlers manage emergency calls. Bring data from disparate public safety systems into one platform to help personnel collect and summarize information.
The tool uses AI to reveal details such as the caller’s location and, for callers who choose to share their medical profile from their mobile phone, their underlying health conditions. We can also suggest the best entrance to your building. “This is important information for first responders,” Wickramasuriya said.
This software has translation and transcription features to help English speakers and non-English speakers communicate. AI can also help call handlers manage non-urgent calls. By streamlining the reporting of issues like abandoned cars and stolen items, call handlers can better focus on critical emergencies.
Most importantly, AI can improve the human element of emergency response. “The AI is working in the background to help the caller answer the call,” Wickramasuriya said.
Did it work and how did the leaders know?
Motorola Solutions says about 60% of 911 call centers in the United States use its call-handling software. We are migrating existing Vesta 911 users to a new system with AI capabilities.
The company says these AI tools already translate millions of minutes of audio each month, reducing the workload of emergency call handlers by resolving non-emergency calls and connecting callers to other resources. It helps to reduce some of it.
Lee County is the first facility where Public Safety Answering Point, a call center that processes emergency calls and coordinates responses, will use VESTA NXT. Motorola Solutions said administrators will discover AI-generated searchable text transcripts and real-time summaries of 911 calls that call takers can share with dispatchers and first responders. It helped save time and reduce stress for call handlers.
What’s next?
Wickramasuriya said the company is focused on improving Vesta NXT.
He said the goal is to “expand the utility” of the software by integrating it more deeply into existing workflows, such as developing features that connect first responders directly with dispatchers and call takers. said.
Another goal is to help understaffed 911 call centers “understand staffing needs, identify call takers who are responding to high-stress situations, and address call taker stress and fatigue.” He said it was about supporting.
