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One thing is for certain each year in Florida: hurricanes.
And with widespread power outages from Helene and Milton, many Floridians turned to their radios for the latest updates. Now, a new technology officials will use to help share emergency information with those who need it most.
During the state’s next emergency, you may hear an artifical intellegence generated voice on the airwaves.
The program is called BEACON, for “Broadcast Emergency Alerts and Communications Operations Network.”
It’s a text-to-speech system that will read official alerts and advisories from local, county, state, and federal agencies like the National Weather Service and Florida Department of Emergency Management.
AI media company Futuri CEO and Founder Daniel Anstandig said BEACON will help rural counties.
“Newsroom budgets are shrinking, journalists are being asked to cover more territory with less resources, and some newsrooms, particularly in rural areas, are shutting down altogether.” Anstandig said.
Florida’s Director of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie said the program will be used on the radio due to its reliability.
“In the state of Florida, we have never lost a radio broadcast tower with all of the storms that have hit here. It’s always been on. It’s always been there,” Guthrie said.
The system launched this week in Gainesville and surrounding areas. They plan on extending it across Florida in 2025, but said funding depends on legislative decisions.
Officials plan on implementing BEACON in 13 radio stations across the state.
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