AI exposure: Public Safety Telecommunicators
Operate telephone, radio, or other communication systems to receive and communicate requests for emergency assistance at 9-1-1 public safety answering points and emergency operations centers. Take information from the public and other sources regarding crimes, threats, disturbances, acts of terrorism, fires, medical emergencies, and other public safety matters. May coordinate and provide information to law enforcement and emergency response personnel. May access sensitive databases and other information sources as needed. May provide additional instructions to callers based on knowledge of and certification in law enforcement, fire, or emergency medical procedures.
Reading this score
computed52.5% of this occupation's weighted task load is exposed, which puts Public Safety Telecommunicators at the 90th percentile of 923 occupations. The capability is largely there. Its average task scores 2.7 out of 4 on what a current system can produce, and the frictions that hold other jobs in place are comparatively weak here.
No single friction dominates this occupation. The strongest is context at 1.25 out of 3 and the weakest is accountability at 0.77, which is a narrow spread. Where nothing structural stands in the way, exposure tracks capability almost directly, and capability is the thing that changes every quarter.
The most exposed thing this job does is Enter, update, and retrieve information from teletype networks and computerized data systems..., at 90.0%. The least is Provide emergency medical instructions to callers, at 0.0%. A gap of 90.0% between two parts of the same job is the reason this index publishes at task level. An occupation-wide number would have hidden both.
Within office and administrative support occupations, this one is less exposed than the median of 55.9% across the group's 51 roles, with 30 scoring higher. Being in an exposed family does not make a particular job exposed, and the reverse holds too.
What would move this score. Of 18 tasks, 14 are currently banded exposed, 0 assisted and 4 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take capability alone, since there is little structural friction here to slow adoption once a system can do the work. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.
Task by task
18 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enter, update, and retrieve information from teletype networks and computerized data systems regarding such things as wanted persons, stolen property, vehicle registration, and stolen vehicles. | 90.0% | 10.0% | 0.0% | 4.57 | exposed |
| Receive incoming telephone or alarm system calls regarding emergency and non-emergency police and fire service, emergency ambulance service, information, and after-hours calls for departments within a city. | 86.7% | 13.3% | 0.0% | 4.77 | exposed |
| Relay information and messages to and from emergency sites, to law enforcement agencies, and to all other individuals or groups requiring notification. | 86.7% | 13.3% | 0.0% | 4.73 | exposed |
| Record details of calls, dispatches, and messages. | 86.7% | 13.3% | 0.0% | 4.70 | exposed |
| Answer routine inquiries, and refer calls not requiring dispatches to appropriate departments and agencies. | 86.7% | 13.3% | 0.0% | 4.48 | exposed |
| Maintain files of information relating to emergency calls, such as personnel rosters and emergency call-out and pager files. | 86.7% | 13.3% | 0.0% | 4.20 | exposed |
| Question callers to determine their locations and the nature of their problems to determine type of response needed. | 80.0% | 20.0% | 0.0% | 4.87 | exposed |
| Observe alarm registers and scan maps to determine whether a specific emergency is in the dispatch service area. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 4.31 | exposed |
| Monitor alarm systems to detect emergencies, such as fires and illegal entry into establishments. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 4.31 | exposed |
| Scan status charts and computer screens, and contact emergency response field units to determine emergency units available for dispatch. | 39.6% | 22.9% | 37.5% | 4.50 | exposed |
| Learn material and pass required tests for certification. | 33.3% | 16.7% | 50.0% | 4.39 | exposed |
| Monitor various radio frequencies, such as those used by public works departments, school security, and civil defense, to stay apprised of developing situations. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 4.68 | exposed |
| Test and adjust communication and alarm systems, and report malfunctions to maintenance units. | 26.9% | 14.8% | 58.3% | 4.01 | untouched |
| Determine response requirements and relative priorities of situations, and dispatch units in accordance with established procedures. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.84 | exposed |
| Read and effectively interpret small-scale maps and information from a computer screen to determine locations and provide directions. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.63 | exposed |
| Operate and maintain mobile dispatch vehicles and equipment. | 11.7% | 13.3% | 75.0% | 4.60 | untouched |
| Maintain access to, and security of, highly sensitive materials. | 10.0% | 15.0% | 75.0% | 4.60 | untouched |
| Provide emergency medical instructions to callers. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.94 | untouched |
Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean.
Where the score comes from
judgedEvery task is scored through the standardised work activities it maps to. These are this occupation’s averages on the six rubric dimensions. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 2.68 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 1.05 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 1.08 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 0.77 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.25 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.04 | 0-3 |
What this means in practice
Where most of a role's weighted task load is exposed, the work that survives is usually the part of the job nobody wrote into the job description: deciding what should be produced rather than producing it, and being answerable for the result. The tasks lowest on this page are a better guide to where to spend your time than any general advice about the future of work.
Occupations either side of this one
The four closest scores in the same occupational family, then the four closest anywhere in the index.
Read this carefully. Exposure is not displacement. A high score means current AI systems can produce this work, not that anyone will stop paying a person to do it. Adoption depends on economics, regulation and inertia that this index deliberately does not model. How the score is built.