Emergency disaster departments face growing pressure around generative AI adoption.
While agencies officially restrict chatbots, informal staff usage is widespread, raising questions about accuracy and reliability in public safety communications.
Local and regional officials often struggle to communicate during severe weather events, due to lack of resources, difficult terminology, or omission of key information. Poor communication in times of crisis can be dangerous. In the past, unclear instructions following a fire and mudslide in Montecito, California, contributed to dozens of deaths.
How is technology used?
Hundreds of companies are pushing AI tools to emergency services for things like flood damage assessment and resource coordination. Experts report a test of a program on a flood warning in New Mexico, where AI corrected the original text by adding details like the sender's identity, precise location and safety instructions.
However, failures are also recorded. After the passage of a hurricane, a local crisis manager in Alabama published an inaccurate graph that had been created by an artificial intelligence system, which became known when a related report was communicated.
Unofficial use and concerns
Although official services usually prohibit the use of such programs and relevant contracts between government agencies and startups concern a limited number of organizations, experts estimate that many employees unofficially use free personal programs to compose messages.
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This practice carries risks. Experts warn that the public may be wary of computer-generated text or graphics, feeling that they lack human care and authenticity. In addition, there is a risk of eroding public trust and causing message fatigue.
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