COMET launches the first AI capability purpose-built for incident investigation and root cause analysis

Aberdeen, Scotland, April 15th, 2026 – COMET, the leading provider of incident investigation and root cause analysis software for high-risk industries, today announced the launch of COMET AI Assistant, the first and only capability built specifically for incident investigation and RCA. Unlike tools that have been adapted from generic AI solutions, COMET AI Assistant is built from the ground up on the investigative expertise, methodology, and HSEQ failure data knowledge that has made COMET the trusted name in investigation and root cause analysis.

The launch marks a significant milestone for the company, which serves organisations across a range of high-risk industries, including oil and gas, aviation, construction, rail, marine and ports, and waste management, protecting more than 350,000 people across 190+ global locations worldwide. The development of COMET AI Assistant represents a significant six-figure investment in purpose-built AI capability, reflecting COMET’s commitment to delivering investigative intelligence that genuinely advances the field.

COMET AI Assistant is designed to address the three most significant challenges facing investigation teams in high-risk industries: the documentation burden that delays investigations before they begin, the variability in investigation quality that leaves risk unaddressed, and the inability to surface systemic intelligence from cumulative investigation data at scale.

Two dedicated capabilities

COMET AI Assistant is structured around two distinct but complementary capabilities, each addressing a different stage of the investigation lifecycle.

The first is embedded directly into the COMET Investigate workflow, reducing the documentation burden that delays investigations before they begin, elevating the quality of analysis, and ensuring nothing gets missed regardless of investigator experience or time pressure. The design principle throughout is that the AI supports, and the investigator decides.

The second is delivered through COMET Companion Plus, an evolution of COMET’s AI-powered investigation assistant. Now, a full portfolio intelligence engine, the tool builds on COMET’s long-standing capability to surface trends and patterns through its investigation dashboards and analytics, taking it further by operating across the entire investigation portfolio through natural language conversation. With no technical expertise required, it surfaces the systemic patterns, recurring factors, and emerging risks that manual review cannot reach.

Together, they represent end-to-end AI capability that no other RCA platform can replicate.

Independent Validation

The launch follows an independent briefing with Verdantix, the leading analyst network for HSE technology, whose research is used by safety leaders and procurement teams across the industry.

“This is a thoughtfully designed AI application. Its strength lies in combining deep investigative expertise with a practical, human-centred approach, grounded in high-quality data and the RCA methodology. The result is a product capable of delivering meaningful operational value to customers.”

Aleks Milligan, Analyst, AI Applied, Verdantix

Safe and responsible AI

COMET AI Assistant is built with enterprise-grade data security and responsible AI governance. The platform does not use OpenAI or any public large language model. Client data is fully segregated and does not leave the client environment or contribute to any shared model. The platform is GDPR-compliant throughout, with per-feature administrative controls that allow organisations to adopt at their own pace.

Mark Rushton, CEO, COMET:

“There is a difference between AI that has been applied to investigations and AI that was built for them. COMET AI Assistant is built on the process, the methodology, and the safety data expertise that drives meaningful prevention. This is not a feature update, it is a category shift in what investigation software can do. We built this because our customers deserved better than a generic AI bolted on to their workflow, and we had the expertise and the methodology to do it properly.”