ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Soon, intelligent machines will be greeting callers to non-emergency numbers at local public safety agencies.

In a move that’s certain to wrankle traditionalists, Buncombe County announced Tuesday that starting May 6, four local non-emergency numbers will be shifting to machine learning technology, meaning “callers to non-emergency lines will ask their question to a machine, then be transferred to a live call-taker.”

Following a 30-day training period, the machine will begin routing non-emergency calls to the appropriate location for a response, the county announced in a release.

It won’t affect 911 calls for police, fire or medical emergencies, which all will be answered by humans and not go through machine learning, county officials stressed.

However, non-emergency lines moving to machine learning, are:

  • 252-1110 (Asheville Police Department non-emergency)
  • 250-6670 (Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency)
  • 250-6650 (Emergency Management Services/fire non-emergency)
  • 250-6690 (Department of Social Services after hours/weekend/holiday)

The move is intended to free human dispatchers for real emergencies and ultimately lead to faster response times in critical incidents, county officials assert.

“Around the nation, communication centers like ours receive hundreds of calls every day for emergencies but also non-emergencies,” Assistant County Manager DK Wesley said in a release. “Prior to using machine learning, our dispatchers were handling calls from people looking for directions to the Blue Ridge Parkway, reporting loud parties, or even checking to see when fireworks were scheduled.”

Wesley said, “By diverting some of the more than 800 non-emergency calls per day to machine learning, our highly trained first responders can focus on emergencies when time is of the essence. This transition demonstrates our commitment to innovation and continuous improvement in serving the needs of our Buncombe residents. Of course, in an emergency, always call or text 911.”

In a modern world filled with old fashioned frustrations over voice mail and changes in the old human-to-human model, it remains to be seen how the public will react.

In its release, Buncombe County officials said it’s meant to streamline communication. “Automated systems can provide timely updates and information to callers, reducing wait times and improving overall user experience.”

“While non-emergency calls will be handled by machine learning technology, emergency calls will continue to be directed to human responders for immediate assistance,” the release stated. “Public safety remains the County’s top priority, and this transition is designed to enhance efficiency without compromising the quality of service.”