Currently, the chatbot is unable to provide information about evacuation orders associated with fires. When asked who issues ...

The bot fails at some basic questions. Cal Fire says it is working on fixes. Experts wonder if it launched too soon.

An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other ...

Newsom is pushing AI for traffic, housing, and services, but Cal Fire’s chatbot problems raise concerns about agency ...

High hopes for AI: Following Gov. Newsom’s 2023 executive order, state agencies have begun rolling out AI tools in areas like ...

The bot fails at some basic questions about fires. Cal Fire says it is working on fixes.

But Cal Fire’s chatbot issues raise questions about whether agencies are following best practices. “Evaluation is not an afterthought,” said Daniel Ho, law professor at Stanford University whose ...

California pushes AI in government, but the wildfire chatbot falls short.

Cal Fire is currently making improvements to the bot’s answers by combing through the queries people make and ensuring that the chatbot correctly surfaces the needed answer.

The chatbot uses the Cal Fire website and the agency’s ReadyForWildfire.org to generate answers. It can tell users about topics such as active wildfires, the agency, fire preparedness tips and ...