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911 centers are so understaffed, they’re turning to AI to answer calls

TechCrunch · Marina Temkin · last updated

When Max Keenan joined Y Combinator’s summer 2022 batch, he was working on Aurelian, a company that automated appointment bookings for hair salons. But less than a year later, a conversation with one of his clients led him to a far more significant problem.

A nearby school’s carpool line was constantly blocking the parking lot of one of Aurelian’s hair salon clients. The salon owner called the city’s non-emergency line and was put on hold for 45 minutes before reaching a dispatcher. “She called me into her office afterwards, and was like, ‘Max, do you want to help me out?’” Keenan told TechCrunch.

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