Restor-AI-tion: The Agentic Era Has Arrived

The Pulse

From Chatbots to "Agents": The 2026 Shift

If 2025 was the year of the "Chatbot," 2026 is officially the year of the AI Agent.

The big news this week isn't just a model update; it's a fundamental shift in utility. OpenAI has officially released GPT-5.2, and Google has countered with Gemini 3.

Why this matters to you: The "Chat" phase is ending. We are entering the "Do" phase.

• GPT-5.2 isn't just writing emails; it has "agentic" capabilities, meaning it can plan a multi-step workflow and execute it.

• Gemini 3 has integrated deeply into Google's ecosystem, allowing for real-time video processing that rivals human perception.

• Claude Opus 4.5 (Anthropic) is currently leading the pack in "reasoning," making it the go-to engine for complex coverage decisions.

For the restoration industry, this means the software you use is about to stop waiting for your input and start anticipating it. We aren't just talking about writing estimates anymore; we are talking about AI dispatchers that can route crews based on real-time traffic, technician skill level, and equipment availability without you touching a keyboard.

The Operations Upgrade

Automating the Scope: Your New Field Workflow
By Dave Grove

Let’s get practical. The biggest bottleneck in restoration isn't the water extraction; it's the administrative lag between the job site and the invoice.

With the rollout of Encircle’s AI Scoping features and the new XactAI integrations, we can finally kill the "double entry" beast.

The Old Way: Tech takes photos -> Tech drives back to office -> PM looks at photos -> PM manually types line items into Xactimate -> PM forgets to bill for the Dehu.

The "Agentic" Way (Available Now):

1. Video-First Documentation: Your tech walks the loss with Encircle (or similar tools like DocuSketch/Matterport) running a continuous video scan.

2. Computer Vision Extraction: The AI (powered by Gemini 3’s vision capabilities) analyzes the video frame-by-frame. It identifies:

   • WTR D (Dehumidifiers)

   • WTR MOVER (Air Movers)

   • Content manipulation needs.

3. Auto-Drafting: The system pushes a draft scope directly into Xactimate. It doesn't just say "Drywall"; it suggests WTR DRYW based on the moisture readings captured in the video metadata.

The Dave Grove "Fix It" Tip: Stop asking your techs to be writers. Ask them to be documenters.

• Action: Enable "Video Summarization" in your field app settings immediately.

• Integration: Ensure your Encircle/DocuSketch API token is active in Xactimate. If you aren't using the integration, you are paying your PMs $80k/year to do data entry that an AI agent can do for pennies.

The Growth Signal

AEO: Ranking for Robots

By Will Tygart

We’ve spent the last decade obsessing over SEO (Search Engine Optimization)—trying to get humans to click our links.

In 2026, you need to worry about AEO (Answer Engine Optimization).

With Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) now fully mature and Apple Intelligence using OpenAI's backend, the "customer" is often an AI agent acting on behalf of a homeowner or property manager.

The Scenario: A property manager asks their AI assistant: "Find a commercial water damage company in Austin that is IICRC certified and has 24/7 availability."

The AI does not scroll through ten blue links. It scans:

1. Google Business Profile (Is "24/7" explicitly listed in your attributes?)

2. Verified Reviews (Does the sentiment analysis confirm "commercial" expertise?)

3. Structured Data (Does your website code explicitly tag your IICRC S500 compliance?)

The Strategy:

• Be the "Answer": Your website content needs to shift from "marketing fluff" to "direct answers."

• Schema Markup: You must implement "LocalBusiness" and "EmergencyService" schema on your site. If the AI agent can't read your service area in the code, you don't exist.

• The "Trust" Signal: AI agents prioritize verified data. Ensure your IICRC certifications are digitally verifiable on your LinkedIn and website footer.

Profit & Liability Impact

Defending the Invoice with S500 & S520

The new AI estimators are aggressive, but they are also compliant. This is a double-edged sword.

The Revenue Risk: If your technician sets 10 air movers but the AI analysis of the room dimensions (based on IICRC S500 calculations) determines only 6 were required, the carrier's AI will auto-flag the overage.

• The Fix: You must document the justification. If you have a Class 4 water loss (bound water), you need the moisture readings to prove it.

The Revenue Opportunity: AI is excellent at catching "leakage"—the items you forget.

• Xactimate Code: CLN PUD (Clean up & pump out). Humans forget this constantly. AI Agents spot standing water in photos and auto-add it.

• Xactimate Code: WTR GRD (Germicide). If the Category is marked as 2 or 3 (Grey/Black), the AI will remind you to apply and bill for antimicrobial application.

Liability Check: Never let the AI make the final call on Category 3 (Black Water). An AI can identify "discoloration," but it cannot biologically test for sewage. A human Certified Restorer (CR) must validate the Category to ensure you aren't liable for a health hazard later.

The Wrap Up

The release of GPT-5.2 and Gemini 3 this month proves that the technology curve isn't flattening—it's vertical. But remember: AI is the accelerator, not the driver.

A Ferrari is useless if you don't know how to drive. Your "driving skill" is your knowledge of building science, your empathy for the customer, and your adherence to the Standard of Care. Let the Agents handle the dispatching and the drafting; you handle the restoration.

Next Steps

Feeling overwhelmed by "Agentic Workflows" and "Gemini 3 integrations"? You fix houses; you shouldn't have to fix APIs.

We can build this automation for you.

Reply to this email with "UPGRADE", and let's schedule a brief audit of your current tech stack. We'll show you exactly where AI agents can recover 10+ hours a week for your Project Managers.

• Will & Dave
  
  Restor-AI-tion