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Board previews 'Ask Kevin Plus' AI code lookup for plumbers; pilots with investigators before public release
Summary
The board previewed 'Ask Kevin Plus', an AI tool trained on UPC/IPC and municipal amendments that gives location‑specific code guidance and links; staff will pilot it with investigators for a month before releasing it to the public in January.
The agency demonstrated a new AI tool—branded Ask Kevin Plus—designed to give plumbers and consumers quick, code‑based answers tailored to project location.
Presenter Kevin described the tool as "informational support, not a substitute for direct consultation in the local municipalities," and showed a live demo in which Ask Kevin Plus identified relevant code sections, asked follow‑up location questions and, where available, provided links to municipal amendments. The presenter noted the tool will refuse to provide printable copies of copyrighted code text but will link users to official sources when possible.
Staff will pilot Ask Kevin Plus with field investigators for about a month and gather feedback before publishing it publicly in January. The tool was described as trained on the UPC, IPC, accessibility standards, and other model codes and as referencing more than 90 Texas municipalities (updated daily where available). Presenter GW Smith told the board he had tested the tool and not been able to 'fool' it with attempted adversarial queries.
Board members asked about which code editions the product contains, whether the tool will surface municipal amendments, and whether it will ever access personal/plumber licensing data. Staff said the system currently holds single copies of key code books (2018 editions referenced) and that it will not link to or access personal license records; verification of license details will still use the public license search.
The board endorsed the pilot plan and encouraged staff to pursue partnerships with code councils (UPC, ICC) to provide direct links to authoritative text. Staff committed to a phased rollout with investigator testing before public release.
