TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Grand Traverse County will soon be turning to artificial intelligence to handle non-urgent calls. In a 7-1 vote on Wednesday, June 18, the Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of Aurelian AI – an automated system that will answer inquiries made to the county’s non-emergency Central Dispatch line. The lone dissenting vote came from Commissioner T.J. Andrews.
The request for the AI system came from Grand Traverse County Dispatch Deputy Director Corey LeCureux, who said the AI-powered system will help streamline operations and reduce the burden on human dispatchers.
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Both the Traverse City Ticker and 9&10 News reported that the purchase involves a 3-year contract with the first year being a trial run that can be cancelled at any time, with a prorated refund to the county if needed.
New AI system aims to handle thousands of non-emergency calls and free up dispatchers for real crises.
The idea isn’t to replace emergency 911 services – it’s to make sure the people handling emergencies can focus on just that. With over 54,000 non-emergency calls to Central Dispatch each year, this new system will take the pressure off human staff by managing up to 67% of those inquiries according to Aurelian – and it’s estimated to save around 1,200 hours of staff time annually.
Additionally, instead of shutting down the Central Dispatch line during times of high call volumes and sending callers to a pre-recorded message, the system will now connect community members to an AI agent. 9&10 News reports that community members will also have the option to text the AI system – and will always have the option to talk to a human at any point.
According to LeCureux, the majority of the calls to them are non-emergency calls with questions about fireworks schedules, traffic tickets, and directions clogging up a system designed for much more urgent needs. LeCureux estimates only about 17% of the calls to dispatch are actual emergencies.
And this isn’t some “emotionless” AI system. Aurelian’s AI is designed to understand the caller’s tone and urgency. If someone sounds distressed or uses certain keywords, the AI flags the call and reroutes it to a human immediately.
LeCureux said about the system, “We want to give the community a higher level of service. That sounds weird because we’re ‘hiring’ a robot, but we think it will truly be better.”
AI fills the gap: unfilled dispatcher role repacked by “robot.”
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The AI system will replace an unfilled dispatcher position in Central Dispatch. This is the first time in the county’s history that an AI agent will be replacing a county position. 16 dispatchers currently work
in the department with more coming on soon as the staffing plan allows for up to 21 dispatchers. The AI agent will be one of them.
Is it working in other places?
Feedback from other Michigan communities who’ve used the system has been positive, LeCureux said, with the benefits outweighing the risks.
The pilot proposal includes a $60,000 setup fee for the first year and $72,000 annually after that. In return, the county gets a customizable AI call assistant trained to field frequently asked questions and guide callers to the right department.
Aurelian’s software is already in use in Kalamazoo, with many other cities across the country rolling out similar systems in various capacities.
When is the big day?
The Traverse City Ticker reports that the system will come out this summer, with an update to the commissioners on its use in the fall. If proven to be a success, it’s possible that the technology will be used county-wide in the future in order to offer other AI-enhanced customer service – but not for the 911 system. County Administrator Nate Alger said the goal isn’t to replace jobs with AI. Instead, they are focused on streamlining operations.
Residents are apprehensive about the change.
Not everyone is on board with the plan, however. When the proposal was posted on Facebook ahead of the vote – on pages run by The Ticker and other local media – the community response was overwhelmingly negative. Many voiced concerns about potential job losses, AI’s inability to distinguish true emergencies, and the broader implications of relying on artificial intelligence for matters involving life and public safety.
Unnamed agent.
It’s unclear whether Grand Traverse County’s new AI agent will speak with a male, female, or distinctly robotic voice – or if a name has been chosen, as this information has not been publicly disclosed. Kalamazoo’s version of AI is called “Ava,” and something tells me the Grand Traverse community will want to give their new virtual employee a proper name too. So, here are a few suggestions to get things started: Traverse Assist, BayLine, GT Connect, TraverseLink – or, keeping it simple, like “Bob.”
Can you hear me now?
Until the AI system gets put in place, whatever its name is, if you’re calling to ask whether the parade starts at 10 or 10:30, you may still get a human. But someday soon, don’t be surprised if an AI assistant answers the phone with, “How can I help you today?” – and actually means it.
