The nation’s first artificial-intelligence-powered emergency broadcast system launched Wednesday in Florida, a move that supporters say could provide life-or-death warnings to residents in places where local news sources have diminished or disappeared.
The system uses AI to aggregate information from the National Weather Service; the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System; and other local, state and federal communications. It then distributes the alerts to traditional radio and television broadcasts, as well as a streaming service and mobile app.
Known as the Broadcast Emergency Alerts and Communications Operations Network, or BEACON, organizers say the system is a new way to fill gaps in Florida’s emergency communications.
The system will provide more in-depth information than the brief alerts typically issued by traditional emergency broadcasts or text messages. And by partnering with radio stations, it ensures that the communications can reach people affected by electricity and internet outages during disasters.
