Will AI replace Public Safety Telecommunicators?
AI reaches most of this job’s work.
58/100
Very high exposure
More exposed to AI than 90% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 6% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 73% of the work
What the job involves
Operate telephone, radio, or other communication systems to receive and communicate requests for emergency assistance at 9-1-1 public safety answering points and emergency operations centers. Take information from the public and other sources regarding crimes, threats, disturbances, acts of terrorism, fires, medical emergencies, and other public safety matters. May coordinate and provide information to law enforcement and emergency response personnel. May access sensitive databases and other information sources as needed. May provide additional instructions to callers based on knowledge of and certification in law enforcement, fire, or emergency medical procedures.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Already happening(1)
- Read and effectively interpret small-scale maps and information from a computer screen to determine locations and provide directions.
Within reach(12)
- Question callers to determine their locations and the nature of their problems to determine type of response needed.
- Determine response requirements and relative priorities of situations, and dispatch units in accordance with established procedures.
- Receive incoming telephone or alarm system calls regarding emergency and non-emergency police and fire service, emergency ambulance service, information, and after-hours calls for departments within a city.
- Relay information and messages to and from emergency sites, to law enforcement agencies, and to all other individuals or groups requiring notification.
- Record details of calls, dispatches, and messages.
and 7 more
Out of reach(5)
- Provide emergency medical instructions to callers.
- Observe alarm registers and scan maps to determine whether a specific emergency is in the dispatch service area.
- Test and adjust communication and alarm systems, and report malfunctions to maintenance units.
- Monitor alarm systems to detect emergencies, such as fires and illegal entry into establishments.
- Operate and maintain mobile dispatch vehicles and equipment.
Also called
Public Safety Dispatcher · Telecommunicator · 911 Operator · Alarm Operator · Public Safety Telecommunicator · 911 Dispatcher · Communications Officer · Communications Specialist
Related jobs
What these numbers mean
The score is the share of this job’s work, weighted by how important and frequent each task is, that AI could do in half the time: tasks an AI model could do alone count in full, tasks that need software built on AI count half.
“AI already used” is the share of the work in tasks where people are recorded using AI today. “As AI tools mature” counts every task AI could halve, with or without extra software.
The percentile compares the score with every job’s, weighted by how many people in the US do each one. Exposure means AI could change how the work is done, not that the job goes away. These are estimates for the typical job, not predictions.
Sources
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
- GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs (task labels), Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), OpenAI and University of Pennsylvania
- Anthropic Economic Index: labor market impacts (task penetration), Anthropic
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and metropolitan areas), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics