South Yorkshire Police launch AI chatbot 'Bobbi' for non-emergency queries
A new virtual assistant is now live on the South Yorkshire Police website to help people with non-emergency questions.
South Yorkshire Police have introduced a new AI-powered virtual assistant called Bobbi to help deal with non-emergency enquiries.
The chatbot is available on the force's website and is designed to answer common questions from the public, pointing people towards the right information or service.
It is part of a wider trial of artificial intelligence in policing, with the aim of easing pressure on the 101 non-emergency phone line by filtering out misdirected or nuisance calls.
The force says Bobbi can guide users through non-emergency questions and, where needed, connect them to a digital desk team for further support.
The tool has been developed with the Police Digital Service, which has highlighted the work being done to bring AI into emergency and non-emergency response.
Anyone with an emergency should still call 999 as normal.
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Source: South Yorkshire Police, Police Digital Service