Are you Using AI to Support your Emergency Management?

May 14, 2024

Have you ever said to yourself or someone else that you wish there were more hours in a day? Or how about simply: “I don’t have time for that.” I am sure at some point in your life you have said that or both, possibly multiple times.

Last month, we discussed some of the looming concerns surrounding artificial intelligence (AI), but we would be remiss if we didn’t highlight some of the good that has come out of AI and what’s ahead. When it comes to emergency managers, these new AI platforms can help us “get some time back.”

A new dot-com era

With artificial intelligence, we are moving into the next dot-com era. I like to call this the “age of efficiency,” offering a new set of tools to help us work faster and smarter. With these tools, we can train AI to essentially do parts of our job for us.

During the first dot-com era, there were plenty of websites that had hype but ultimately went away. And others, like Google and Amazon, that emerged as the winners. We will see the same with AI. Some applications will help us get through the day, and others will disappear from our memories.

AI won’t replace us; it is simply helping us do our jobs. There are some human elements that AI cannot handle.

So, let’s look at some of the ways we can utilize AI to help us get through the day.

ChatGPT and similar products

When you hear about artificial intelligence, you probably think about ChatGPT. This product from OpenAI pretty much set the pin in the map for AI in this generation.

However, for the sake of this article, I will strictly refer to going forward as a GPT (generative pre-trained transformer). This is because other companies have nearly identical systems as ChatGPT (Claude, BERT, Llama, etc.). Shockingly though, many still don’t know what it is or let alone how to even use it.

These technologies can be one of those powerful time-savers. I have shown quite a few people how to use a GPT in their day-to-day work.

With these applications, documents that used to take an hour or more to put together may only take five minutes or less. A few potential uses include professional emails, plans or policies, or even analyzing and paraphrasing reports for you.

GPTs are simply chatbots or large language models, which essentially have been around for quite some time. For years and years, all the information provided on the Internet has been funneled through these GPTs. Within seconds, these systems can provide the content based on the keywords that you provide it.

More than GPTs

There is so much more to artificial intelligence than ChatGPT. In terms of emergency preparedness, some use cases include:

• Forecasting emergencies:  AI has a role in early warning systems which can analyze historical health data factors that can assist in the prediction of disease outbreaks. We can also see this use case in areas that may face hurricanes or other severe weather impacts for example.
• Supply chains:  For supply chain management, the algorithms can optimize the allocation of ventilators, PPE, and possibly even health care staff during a pandemic.
• Wearable tech:  Wearable devices and even implanted devices are being equipped with artificial intelligence. This is very modern technology, and we are just starting to see the use of AI in implanted devices.
• Handoff reports:  Any nurses reading this? I know you love spending time with patient handoff reports. What if AI could automatically generate that handoff report for you! AI can prioritize important details, medication changes, lab results, vital sign fluctuations, patient concerns, and overall response to treatment.

With all AI, we must separate potential promises and practical uses. AI can generate a report, but our skill and expertise must vet its accuracy. Learning how these technologies function helps us understand what’s coming down the pike.

There is much more potential to come out of AI in the future. Utilize it to the best of your ability today, so that tomorrow you aren’t left behind.