Why public safety is turning toward AI and 5G

First responders have always prioritized reliability with regard to technology and connectivity. It stands to reason, if you’re working in an inhospitable environment or under unpredictable conditions, with lives at stake, you need reliable communications. But more recently we’ve started seeing the emergence of a new priority: the need for timely, actionable intelligence. Even as this need grows, access to reliable mission-critical communications remains vital. Moving forward, in 2025 and beyond, it is expected that public safety professionals will prioritize both reliability and data-driven, real-time insights. 

Turning toward AI
To date, public safety professionals have been somewhat slow to adopt the use of artificial intelligence (AI), but that’s changing, and I suspect that change will gain momentum in 2025. According to the Verizon Frontline 2024 Public Safety Communications Survey, a survey of 1,700 first responders from across the nation, only 14% of public safety and emergency response professionals are currently using AI or smart solutions. However, a sizable majority (75%) believe AI will be either important or a top priority for public safety agencies in the future. 

Every day, public safety agencies in the United States and abroad must contend with mountains of data and near-infinite variables. AI can help sort that data so that first responders can more efficiently concentrate their finite resources. AI can analyze vast amounts of data in real time, benchmarking against historical data, in order to detect patterns and identify threats. AI has the ability to help improve incident response and enhance crime mapping. It can also aid in the prediction of (or response to) natural disasters by identifying early warning signals—low moisture levels and high wind as an indication of potential wildfires, for instance—or determining areas that are prone to flooding and are short on flood-resistant constructions.

Forward-thinking and practical
I recently had a conversation with one of our partners, Joshua Gough, the executive director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. When I asked him about the role of AI, he said, “When leading in a crisis situation, I don’t need more data, I need answers.” That’s what AI does. It turns data into insights. If powered with 5G, it can do it in real time, at which point it becomes actionable. That’s why I believe public safety agencies will increasingly turn toward 5G and AI in 2025 and beyond: They’re practical. First responders won’t use something just because it’s new technology, but they will use it if they see real-world benefits.

Equating 5G with reliability 
Increasingly, public safety professionals value 5G connectivity. A big part of that positive perception is rooted in its association with reliability, which, as discussed above, is a top priority for first responders. Just as there’s been an upward trend in how much public safety professionals value reliable networks, there’s been a similar trend in the perception of 5G. Today, nearly two-thirds (66%) of public safety professionals either see 5G as important to the work they do or a top priority.

The parallel trend of increasingly prioritizing 5G and reliable networks makes sense, as 5G networks are inherently more reliable, more secure and faster—attributes that enable public safety professionals to coordinate more effectively and work more efficiently. Additionally, 5G paves the way for more advanced connectivity solutions, including deployable assets that help enable first responders to maintain communications in remote and rugged environments where connectivity is either challenging or there is no existing infrastructure.

Reliability will remain the top priority
Reliable connectivity isn’t the shiny new object in the world of technology and communications, but it remains the top priority for first responders. More than half of public safety professionals (65%) valued reliable connectivity above all else last year. 

I suspect reliable connectivity, as a priority, will continue to grow, as first responders are facing more extreme weather events and natural disasters more frequently. For example, wildfire season was once considered a seasonal threat, but “wildfire season” now spans the entire year, driven by drier environments and rising temperatures. The response to a wildfire or other natural disaster is a major undertaking, requiring real-time coordination across a range of public safety and emergency response agencies and departments. In these scenarios, reliable connectivity is paramount. 

In 2025, we will continue to witness firsthand the development and deployment of emerging technologies. The rapid yet strategic adoption of AI and the use of 5G within the first responder community have already helped to mitigate disasters and save lives, and I’m excited to see the continued impact of AI and 5G on public safety operations in the future.