AI in surveying, property and construction: the RICS standard in practice

Cue 1 A standard dated 9 March 2026 stamped mandatory, with a globe behind it

EMMA 00:00 George, my firm's started using an AI tool to summarise leases. Someone said RICS now has rules about that.

GEORGE 00:07 It does. A professional standard called Responsible use of artificial intelligence in surveying practice. It's been in effect since 9 March 2026 and it's mandatory, for every member and every regulated firm, in every country.

EMMA 00:21 Is it against AI?

GEORGE 00:23 No. It's supportive. But it puts the skill of the surveyor at the centre. AI assists professional practice. It doesn't replace it. And the surveyor remains accountable for every piece of advice.

Cue 2 Two outputs side by side: a diary tidied, and a lease summary feeding a report marked material

EMMA 00:36 Does it apply to everything? I use a tool to sort my diary.

GEORGE 00:41 It applies to outputs that have a material impact on the delivery of the surveying service. Your diary doesn't. Your lease summary does, if you rely on it when you write the report.

EMMA 00:54 How do I judge material?

GEORGE 00:56 Ask whether the output is capable of influencing the service. Could it change what the client is told? If you decide it's material, you must make a record of that decision and your reasoning.

Cue 3 A client file at a gate with two keys: written consent in advance, and an acceptable risk

EMMA 01:10 What do I personally need to know?

GEORGE 01:12 A basic understanding of four things. The types of AI system and how they fail. The risk of erroneous output. The inherent risk of bias. And data usage and data risks.

EMMA 01:25 Can I upload the client's lease?

GEORGE 01:27 Firms must refrain from uploading private and confidential data, except where two things are true. There's express written consent in advance from the people affected. And the firm has satisfied itself that the upload doesn't pose an unacceptable risk.

Cue 4 Three documents: an AI register, a responsible use policy and a risk register with a quarterly calendar

EMMA 01:43 Both.

GEORGE 01:43 Both. Not one.

EMMA 01:44 What paperwork does the firm need?

GEORGE 01:47 Three things. A written register of each AI system. What it is, what it's used for, the date it was first used, and the date it'll next be reviewed.

Cue 5 A written request to a supplier with six questions, one answered and five blank, the blanks moving into the risk register

EMMA 01:58 Second.

GEORGE 01:59 A responsible use policy. Who's responsible for what, training at least once a year, and how human judgement interacts with the tool.

EMMA 02:08 And third.

GEORGE 02:08 A risk register. Bias, erroneous outputs, what you don't know about the system, and what happens to the data you put in. Each risk rated red, amber or green. And it must be reviewed at least quarterly.

EMMA 02:23 Quarterly. That's more often than I expected.

GEORGE 02:26 It is. And before you buy a tool, there's due diligence. You ask the supplier in writing about training data, known bias, data law, environmental impact and their liability. You record what comes back.

EMMA 02:40 And if they won't answer?

GEORGE 02:42 Then the risk of the missing information goes into your risk register. Silence from a supplier is itself a finding.

Cue 1 A written reliability decision with four headings and a conclusion line at the foot

EMMA 02:50 George, the tool's given me a lease summary and it looks right. Can I just use it?

GEORGE 02:56 Not on looks. The standard says you must apply professional judgement to decide on the reliability of the output, and you must document that decision in writing.

EMMA 03:07 What counts as professional judgement?

GEORGE 03:09 Four things. Knowledge, skills, experience and professional scepticism. Scepticism is in the definition. You're expected to doubt it before you rely on it.

Cue 2 A named surveyor's signature beside the decision, with a team and a machine crossed out

EMMA 03:18 What goes in the written decision?

GEORGE 03:21 Any assumptions you made. Your key concerns about reliability, including the data underneath. The reason for each concern. Whether anything could lessen it. And a conclusion.

EMMA 03:31 What sort of conclusion?

GEORGE 03:33 A statement of whether the output can reasonably be used for its intended purpose.

Cue 3 A stream of automated valuations with a few picked at random for checking

EMMA 03:38 Who signs it?

GEORGE 03:40 It must be prepared by, or under the supervision of, an appropriately qualified and named surveyor who accepts responsibility. A person. Not a team and not a system.

EMMA 03:51 And if my conclusion is no?

GEORGE 03:53 Then you tell the client in writing, with your reasoning or a summary of it.

Cue 4 A letter to a client sent before the work begins, saying when and why AI will be used

EMMA 03:59 We run thousands of automated valuations. I can't write a decision for each.

GEORGE 04:04 You're not asked to. For automated or high volume outputs, the standard says that isn't proportionate. But you remain accountable for each one. So you must undertake randomised dip samples at regular intervals.

EMMA 04:18 Why randomised?

GEORGE 04:18 Because checking only the ones that look odd tells you nothing about the ones that look fine.

Cue 5 A client's request answered from three files already on the shelf: register, due diligence, decisions

EMMA 04:25 Does the client need to know any of this?

GEORGE 04:29 Yes. In writing and in advance. When AI is to be used, and for what purpose.

EMMA 04:35 And in the terms of engagement?

GEORGE 04:38 When AI will be involved and in which parts of the process. The extent of your professional indemnity cover for AI use, if available. How to contest its use. How to seek redress. And how to opt out, if at all.

EMMA 04:54 What if a client asks how the tool works?

GEORGE 04:58 On request, you must be able to give written information. The type of system. How it works and its limits. Your due diligence. How you manage the risks. And your decisions on reliability.

EMMA 05:11 That's a lot to produce.

GEORGE 05:13 It's everything you've already kept. A firm with its register, its due diligence and its decisions can answer in an afternoon.