What We Mean By "Regulation Intelligence" (And Why It's Not AI)

We get asked this a lot. What does “intelligence” actually mean when we talk about our software?

Fair question. The word gets thrown around so much in software marketing that it’s basically meaningless. So here’s the straight answer.

The short version

Regulation intelligence means we’ve programmed BS 7671 rules directly into the software. When you enter values, the software checks them against those rules and tells you if something’s wrong.

That’s it. No magic. No mystery.

How it works

Say you’re entering Z’s readings on an EICR. You type in a value. The software instantly checks it against BS 7671 maximum permitted values for that circuit type, cable size and protection device.

If your reading is fine, nothing happens. You carry on.

If your reading exceeds the limit, the software flags it. You see a warning. You can check your measurement or investigate the circuit.

The same thing happens with cable sizing. Enter your load requirements and installation method, and the software suggests cable sizes that comply with the regulations. Not because it’s guessing. Because the regulation tables are built in.

Where did these rules come from?

Gary Gundry. He sits on JPEL/64, the committee that writes BS 7671. He also sits on international IEC committees, works with the IET, and serves on the national committee for BS 5266.”

When Gary says “this is how the regulation works”, he’s not interpreting it. He helped write it.

We took that knowledge and programmed it into the software. Every regulation check, every compliant value suggestion, every limit warning comes from verified BS 7671 requirements.

How is this different from AI?

AI learns from data. It reads things online, spots patterns, and makes predictions based on what it’s seen.

The problem is obvious. What if the data it learned from was wrong?

Outdated regulations, forum posts with bad advice, old certificates with mistakes, or old regulations. AI doesn’t know the difference between a correct answer and a confident-sounding wrong one.

Our regulation intelligence doesn’t learn from anything. It doesn’t predict. It checks your values against fixed rules that we’ve programmed in. Rules that came directly from the regulations and were verified by someone who writes them.

Think of it like this. AI is like asking a well-read stranger for advice. They might be right. They might sound right, but be wrong. You can’t really tell.

Regulation intelligence is like having the regulation book built into your software, with someone who helped write it double-checking the answers.

What about the future?

We’re not against AI. We’re planning to use more of it for things like understanding handwritten notes, reducing typing, and helping with data entry.

But for regulation compliance? We’ll keep using verified rules. Because when you’re signing off a certificate, you need to know the software caught errors using actual regulations. Not an algorithm’s best guess.

What does this mean for your certificates?

Four things.

Mistakes get caught before submission.

Enter a value that doesn’t comply, and you’ll know about it straight away. Not after the certificate’s been sent.

Less time spent checking.

You don’t need to look up regulation tables. The software already knows the limits.

Consistency across your team.

Every engineer gets the same checks. Whether they’ve been with you for twenty years or twenty days, the software applies regulations the same way.

Reduced liability.

Regulation errors get flagged automatically. Your certificates go out with compliant values because the software helped you get there.

Still sounds vague?

Here’s a specific example. You’re testing a ring final circuit with a 32A Type B MCB. You enter a Zs reading of 1.2Ω.

Basic software would accept that. You typed a number, it printed a number.

Our software would flag it. BS 7671 maximum Zs for a 32A Type B device is 1.15Ω at operating temperature. Your reading is over the limit.

That’s regulation intelligence. Software that knows the rules and checks your work against them.