Question 1

What is vBrief?

Accepted Answer

vBrief is a change control and project information management tool for AEC teams. Users import project documents and vBrief's AI helps surface key information, flag contradictions, and pre-categorise items for review. Users then verify everything in context — a design intended to help make omissions more visible — before verified decisions become the live brief. Every decision is logged in a tamper-resistant Golden Thread, designed with PI-insured professional practice in mind.

Question 2

How is vBrief different from autonomous AI agents?

Accepted Answer

Autonomous AI agents produce outputs without a mandatory human verification step, making them unreliable for professional AEC use where the professional is ultimately liable. vBrief's AI surfaces and flags information, but every output requires user verification in context before it becomes live. This design is intended to reduce omission risk — one of the largest PI insurance concerns with end-to-end AI — because users review what the AI found rather than trusting its output directly.

Question 3

How is vBrief different from generic AI copilots or BIM plugins?

Accepted Answer

vBrief constrains its AEC-optimised AI to defined workflow steps, including addressing omission risks in ways that are difficult to achieve with traditional AI applications alone. Users verify every critical output and each decision is logged in a tamper-resistant Golden Thread for PI traceability. Generic copilots and BIM plugins typically lack this structured verification workflow and audit trail.

Question 4

How does vBrief's AI affect my PI insurance?

Accepted Answer

vBrief's AI helps surface information and flag contradictions but does not make decisions on the user's behalf. Users verify information in context before it becomes output, supporting traceability. The system is designed so users can more easily review and spot if the AI has missed key information, helping address omission risk — one of the largest potential PI concerns with AI applications. Each decision is stored in a tamper-resistant Golden Thread log, designed to support PI-insurer requirements for traceability and auditability.

Question 5

Why isn't vBrief fully automated?

Accepted Answer

Complex design decisions require professional judgement. Most AI agents that complete nuanced tasks still have a high error rate due to hallucinations or major misunderstandings, and the professional using the system is ultimately liable for any harm. vBrief uses AI to help surface information and flag contradictions — areas where significant efficiency gains are possible — while ensuring verification and decisions remain with the professionals who hold the legal liability.

Question 6

How is vBrief different from project management tools like Asana or Monday?

Accepted Answer

General project management tools are largely manual with little relevant AI functionality for AEC information workflows. vBrief's AI helps surface key information from project documents and flag contradictions, within a complete project-scoped workflow that keeps requirements, risks, tasks, and studies connected through a single database.

Question 7

Do I still need vBrief if I already use BIM software, CDEs, or issue trackers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. vBrief does not replace BIM or CDE usage. It operates from the beginning of a project, keeping requirements verified, live, linked to actions, and exportable to Word, Excel, and PDF without extensive manual work. vBrief addresses the information management layer that sits above design tools and file storage — helping surface changes, flag contradictions, and maintain a verified decision record.

Question 8

Is my client data safe with vBrief?

Accepted Answer

vBrief uses AES-256 encryption at rest, TLS 1.3 preferred (TLS 1.2 minimum) in transit, and row-level security. AI systems run on private EU-based Microsoft Azure instances with tenant-level isolation; no customer data is used for model training without explicit permission. SSO with MFA is supported, and project-level access controls ensure only authorised users can access information.

Question 9

Is vBrief suitable for small AEC practices?

Accepted Answer

Yes. vBrief is project-first by design — you can start with a single project and scale. Focused data scope and permissions mean low setup overhead and fast time-to-value.

Question 10

Where is vBrief hosted?

Accepted Answer

vBrief is hosted on ISO-27001-certified Microsoft Azure servers in the EU, supporting GDPR compliance for UK and European AEC practices. On-premises deployment is not currently available, but can be discussed for organisations where this is a major decision factor.

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