Scoop: A $52K AI assistant is answering Richmond's non-emergency calls
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An Amazon AI assistant that's been answering Richmond's non-emergency calls since last year has cost the city more than $52,000.
Why it matters: City officials tell Axios the technology has helped free dispatchers to answer 911 calls faster.
- But callers aren't told they're speaking with AI, and Axios found it doesn't always respond consistently.
The big picture: Richmond signed a $46,000 contract with CDW Government in January 2025 to build a customized Amazon Connect system that understands caller requests and routes them to the appropriate city department, per documents obtained by Axios.
- The system went live in April 2025 and now acts as a city services navigator for RVA 311, police information, animal control and more.
- Although the city estimated annual operating costs of $24,000, it has spent roughly $6,600 since then, city spokesperson Taylor Fuqua tells Axios.
Zoom in: About 10% to 15% of non-emergency calls are handled entirely by AI, while another 5% are routed directly to other city agencies, Fuqua says.
- Human dispatchers handle the rest.
How it works: The assistant draws from city-approved information rather than generating its own responses, Fuqua says.
- Fuqua says callers' data isn't shared with Amazon to train AI models.
- When Axios asked whether the assistant was artificial intelligence, the bot replied: "I'm not readily finding the information you requested."
- If the AI can't confidently answer a question, it transfers callers to a live dispatcher.
The payoff: In January, dispatchers answered about 93% of emergency calls within 15 seconds, up from about 85% the year before.
Yes, but: As more 911 centers turn to AI to manage staffing shortages and heavy call volumes, the National Emergency Number Association recommends telling people who they're talking to.
- "Because again, trust is everything when it comes to public safety," April Heinze, NENA's vice president of 9-1-1 operations, tells Axios.
The intrigue: Axios called Richmond's non-emergency line (804-646-5100) five times to see how the AI performed over a year after being adopted.
- In one instance, it accurately answered questions about reporting potholes and broken traffic lights, then offered text links to the right city services.
- In another, it appeared to disconnect before transferring the call to a dispatcher.
- After offering Spanish-language service, the AI transferred Axios to a dispatcher who replied in English.
What they're saying: "If the system only serves the people it understands easily, then it is really not improving access," Renée Cummings, a UVA assistant professor specializing in building ethical AI, tells Axios.
What we're watching: Richmond sees AI taking on a bigger workload.
- Thom Gann, Richmond's emergency communications technology manager, told State Tech earlier this year he hopes to have AI handle "as much as possible, so that many of these calls never hit the emergency center."