9-1-1, What Is Your Emergency? Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, Language Access and Health Policy

Introduction Emergency medical dispatch (EMD) is a critical yet understudied entry point into the United States (U.S.) healthcare system. Given the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, we examine 9-1-1 telecommunicators’ perspectives on AI integration in EMD. Methods We conducted a qualitative analysis of open-ended responses from a cross-sectional electronic survey of 9-1-1 telecommunicators who primarily manage emergency medical calls at three 9-1-1 call centers in California between February and April 2026. Results Eight themes emerged from the study: 1) 9-1-1 telecommunicators generally viewed human-centered AI as a tool to supplement, rather than replace human expertise; 2) the importance of maintaining human connection and empathy; 3) concerns related to liability, accountability, and data security; 4) the need to differentiate between emergency and non-emergency calls; 5) 9-1-1 caller location identification; 6) 9-1-1 caller language identification; 7) delays in connecting with interpreters; and 8) AI performance under “less-than-ideal” conditions. Policy Implications These findings highlight the importance of human-centered, equity-focused approaches to AI integration in EMD, including proactive policy development and implementation.