U.S. Army veteran launches ‘Chief Bud’ AI tool to help soldiers find housing

An U.S. Army veteran has launched his own artificial intelligence assistant to help others navigate government programs awarded to those who have served in the military. The application, called “Chief Bud,” is mainly focused on helping veterans to find housing—something its website confirms 18 million people have earned as a result of their time in the armed forces. 

The website—which links to official resources offered through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)—was founded by Chad King, who served for seven years. In a profile of him, Military.com said he’s currently pursuing a master’s degree in “human-computer interaction” and decided to apply his education to the real world. 

King finished an undergraduate program at DePaul University in Chicago, telling the student newspaper that there are “18 million veterans in the United States, and I feel a connection to all those people.”

He would go on to tell writers at the DePaulia that he came up with the idea of Chief Bud during a design startup class at the university—during a time when King was facing a moment of housing instability. 

“The easiest problem to solve is the one you’re dealing with,” King told the campus newspaper. “I figured that this would be a perfect use case for AI because part of the problem is there’s so many rules, so many pages of rules—and who wants to read those rules?”

King is referring to the many different programs offered by the VA, from temporary shelters to new home purchases and everything in between. As the Chief Bud website notes, the government has “delivered targeted resources and accommodations” to meet most of the housing needs of former active-duty military—it’s just not always easy to find out what’s available. 

Barriers pointed to include complex eligibility requirements, overburdened case managers and user-unfriendly government portals. On top of that, veterans may be completely unaware that they have housing options at all, especially as their needs change. 

Regardless, Chief Bud—which is named after an animated AI character who offers prompt, concise answers to questions—hopes to aid soldiers who need a leg up, regardless of circumstances. 

“Chief Bud speaks to the veteran Community and translates GOVspeak into VETspeak. Bottom line: Upfront with clear directions,” the website reads, promising that it will be available 24/7 on a smartphone “until keys are in hand.”

The platform is currently in a pilot phase, with hopes it will be available for everyone to use in Summer 2026.