AI voice assistant to aid 112 helpline in 15 plus languages in Bengaluru

The AI-powered voice assistant will make emergency call easier for everyone, especially tourists, students, and migrant workers in and around Bengaluru, who may not speak Kannada, English, or Hindi

Bengaluru Police is planning to install an AI-powered voice assistant to its 112 emergency helpline. The smart system aims to break language barriers and allow callers to communicate in different languages, including Spanish, French, Arabic, and Indian languages such as Bengali, Manipuri, and Kashmiri, according to a report by Moneycontrol.

 

The initiative aims to make emergency calls easier for everyone, especially tourists, students, and migrant workers who may not speak Kannada, English, or Hindi.

 

The report further mentioned that this new AI-powered system will be part of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS 112). In this regard, a tender has already been floated for its installation. 

 

 

“The AI voice assistant can understand and communicate in multiple languages. Initially, it will support Indian languages such as Bengali, Gujarati, Odia, Manipuri, Kashmiri, Nepali, and Assamese, in addition to foreign ones including Spanish, French, and Arabic. It can be quickly trained to include more languages as needed,” according to the tender, as quoted by Moneycontrol.

 

Currently, there are about 100 staff working on the 112 helpline. Most of them speak Kannada, English, and Hindi, while some can also speak Tamil, Telugu, or Malayalam. But officials say that with AI, many more languages can be supported easily. 

“The integration of an AI-powered voice assistant into the 112 emergency helpline is a transformative step towards responsive, inclusive, and citizen-centric public safety. In a linguistically diverse city like Bengaluru, where people speak Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, English, and several other languages, accessibility has always been a challenge. By enabling support in over 15 Indian languages, this AI voice system ensures that language is no longer a barrier in moments of distress,” said Jaspreet Bindra, Co-founder, AI&Beyond.

   

Notably, this development comes after the police recently denied reports of a Spanish tourist being asked to speak Kannada during an emergency call. Police later clarified that no such call was made and that the police acted the next morning based on a neighbour’s report.

 

The AI assistant is primarily curated to handle different emergency situations. For example, if someone goes missing, it can change its questions based on the person's age—whether they are a child, adult, or senior. It can also work with ambulances, fire brigades, and other emergency teams, using location data to find callers faster.

 

“In such situations, every second counts. Having an AI that can instantly respond in someone’s native language could be the difference between life and death,” a senior officer said, as quoted by Moneycontrol. 

 

Another officer explained, “Bengaluru attracts people from across India, but not all speak Kannada or English—the languages used in emergency call centres. This AI system ensures language isn’t a barrier to urgent help.”

 

The AI system also helps with staff shortages. “Recruiting multilingual emergency operators is both difficult and expensive. Training takes time, and even trained personnel can falter under pressure. In contrast, AI voice agent works round-the-clock without fatigue, delivering consistent and accurate responses,” the officer said. 

“This AI initiative from Bengaluru police is a watershed moment for public safety tech in India. By letting citizens dial 112 in fifteen languages, it removes the barrier between distress and response. This blueprint shows how inclusive, scalable AI can strengthen civic infrastructure nationwide and inspire other states. I personally feel that this is just the beginning as we enter the Agentic AI era,” said Dikshant Dave, Founder and CEO, Zigment AI.