In Russia, a Robot Named Nikolai Now Handles Utility Outage Calls — 24/7

Novosibirsk just handed over part of its critical infrastructure communication to artificial intelligence.

Meet Nikolai, a voice-powered AI assistant launched by Russia’s Unified Dispatch Service (EDDS) as a pilot project. His job? Providing real-time updates on utility outages—water, electricity, heating, and gas—across the city, no human operator required. Need to know when the hot water will be back on? Just ask.

The system is built on digital infrastructure developed locally by the Novosibirsk region’s Ministry of Digital Development—tech that’s already in use across local healthcare and social services.

Here’s how it works: users dial in, tell Nikolai (in plain language) what service they’re concerned about—“hot water outage,” for instance—and provide an address. The robot pulls up current data and delivers it instantly. That’s it. No queues, no human delays.

Though still in pilot mode, Nikolai is already lightening the load for human dispatchers. According to city IT chief Maksim Rusin, the launch aligns with the city’s hydraulic system testing season—one of the busiest times for utility disruptions. The goal is to free up staff to handle more complex or emergency calls.

Future updates will expand Nikolai’s capabilities, making him a permanent feature in Russia’s digital public services lineup. As AI creeps further into municipal systems, even your local water outage might soon be explained by a robot.