Cal Fire Rolled Out an AI Chatbot Following Executive Order. Don’t Ask It About Evacuation Orders
CALIFORNIA, JUL 9 – Cal Fire's AI chatbot launched to improve access to fire resources but struggles with accurate evacuation and containment updates, with errors documented by CalMatters.
- Cal Fire launched an AI chatbot to provide wildfire info but cannot currently issue evacuation orders, highlighting its limited emergency response capabilities.
- Cal Fire's AI chatbot, launched under Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2023 order to improve government efficiency, aims to inform the public but currently cannot reliably provide evacuation orders.
- Cal Fire's AI chatbot provided outdated Ranch Fire containment data , showed inconsistent responses when questions were reworded, but gave accurate answers on active fires.
- Cal Fire is reviewing user queries to improve accuracy amid concerns over inconsistent emergency responses and adherence to best practices.
- With Cal Fire’s AI chatbot slated for deployment until at least 2027, experts recommend extensive prelaunch public testing and clear evaluation criteria to ensure reliability amid California’s broader AI adoption trend.
13 Articles
13 Articles

Cal Fire rolled out an AI chatbot. Don’t ask it about evacuation orders
The bot fails at some basic questions about fires. Cal Fire says it is working on fixes.
California's fire protection agency made an AI chatbot. Don't ask it about evacuation orders – The Markup
The bot fails at some basic questions about fires. Cal Fire says it is working on fixes. Photo by Julie Hotz for CalMatters California government agencies are going all-in on generative artificial intelligence tools after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2023 executive order to improve government efficiency with AI. One deployment recently touted by the governor is a chatbot from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the primary agency …
Cal Fire rolled out an AI chatbot following executive order. Don’t ask it about evacuation orders
California's AI chatbot aims to improve access to wildfire information but struggles with consistency, raising questions about the state agencies' readiness for AI.
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