South Yorkshire Police introduce AI assistant for non-emergency questions and "help reduce calls to 101”
"Bobbi will be a useful tool to help reduce calls to 101”
South Yorkshire Police have introduced a new AI assistant designed to deal with non-emergency concerns.
Bobbi Virtual AI is already deployed in other forces like Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, Thames Valley Police and Humberside Police, and as of Thursday October 1 will also be used in South Yorkshire.
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The AI assistant is designed to offer advice and answers about non-emergency incidents with hopes of reducing the number of 101 calls.
Police have said that the service will not replace call handlers, but is instead an additional service alongside online forms, telephone lines and front desks at stations.
Bobbi will use ‘closed-source information’ provided by police to direct callers for a variety of matters.
If unable to help, users will be referred to digital desk operators, real people who are available 24/7.
South Yorkshire Police have said that any data shared with the AI will remain confidential and will not be used outside of the force.
Chief Superintendent Cherie Buttle, head of the Force Control Room, said: "Bobbi will be a useful tool to help reduce calls to 101, save members of the public time, and provide concise and reliable answers to frequently asked questions.
“We receive more than 1,000 101 calls each day and we know that some callers can be waiting 20 minutes or more to speak to our staff during periods of high demand.
"By providing quick responses to non-emergency questions, Bobbi will enable those who prefer to use the AI assistant to save time otherwise spent calling 101 and enable those who do need to speak to one of our call handlers to get through quicker.
“I also recognise some people will have concerns around the use of AI, and I want to emphasise that Bobbi is a secure system. It is an alternative to, not a replacement, for some 101 calls.”