Boulder is deploying two major new technologies to improve public safety: an artificial intelligence system for non-emergency dispatch calls and a new Public Safety Information Center equipped with drone response capabilities.Th e city plans to soft launch the AI system during the last week of October, with full implementation expected by the end of the year. Once fully implemented, the AI will answer all non-emergency calls, replacing the current phone tree. See what the new Public Safety Information Center looks like in the video below: Boulder to use AI for non-emergency calls; new safety center offers drone response capabilitiesBrad Riggin, Public Safety Communications Manager for the City of Boulder, said the new tool is designed to free up dispatchers to focus on emergencies."The idea is for us to use this new tool ... to help reduce the load on our dispatchers and allow them to concentrate on the emergency calls where seconds matter to save lives or property," Riggin said.Some community members have raised concerns that the technology could mean job cuts. Comments on Denver7's Facebook page included, "Of all areas to cut jobs this is what we're doing?" and "Bye bye jobs."Riggin said the AI will not affect staffing."It will not affect our employee size. What it will do is allow them to focus on emergency incidents, calls, and incidents have become more complex over the years," Riggin said.Currently, 70% of the call volume to the dispatch center consists of non-emergency calls, with 30% being 911 calls. Riggin said dispatchers have had to juggle lower-priority calls like noise complaints, barking dogs, and parking issues while managing critical scenes on the radio. The new system will allow them to address those calls later without being pulled away from emergencies.On Wednesday, the city also unveiled its new Public Safety Information Center. Boulder Police Commander Darren Fladung said the push to build the center grew out of planning for the Sundance Film Festival."It was just very apparent that we did not have the infrastructure to support that anywhere in the city," Fladung said.The center gives police the ability to monitor up to 225 camera feeds across Boulder in real time, track patrol vehicle locations, and see the positions of officers wearing body-worn cameras.Any video used as evidence is secured, and the department will conduct weekly audits to review why cameras were accessed and what was done with that information.The Public Safety Information Center is also home to Boulder's "Drones as First Responder" program. Sgt. Brian Capobianco of the Public Safety Information Center has been on the drone team for about six years. He said he was responsible for building the system from scratch selecting vendors, setting up the technology, and physically configuring the room."This is the culmination of a lifetime of playing video games here," Capobianco said.Operators can fly drones using an Xbox controller, a basic USB controller, or a keyboard and mouse all from inside the center. The system is customizable, with each pilot able to configure controls to their own preference.Boulder Fire Chief Michael Calderazzo said the drone program offers a significant advantage for commanders in the field."That will help for safety purposes and for the ability to evaluate what's the right place to put resources and and where to be able to make the most effective extinguishment capabilities," Calderazzo said.The drones can also be equipped with thermal cameras, helping fire and police more easily determine what is and isn't an emergency. Fladung said the technology has also helped officers better assess potential threats."The nice thing that we were able to determine was that this person actually did not have a firearm which drastically changed our response to that situation," Fladung said.Officials said they are conscious of residents' privacy concerns and will only deploy the drones in response to specific incidents.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less