AI is a professional issue for surveyors
Surveyors UK
- Technology & AI
AI is now firmly on the agenda at RICS.
On a recent RICS podcast, incoming President Nick McLean spoke about how technology, including AI, will affect the profession. His message was straightforward. Surveyors are still needed. Employers are not asking for fewer surveyors. They are asking for different skills and greater adaptability as technology changes how work is done.
RICS is responding at governance level. A technology lead role is being introduced internally. There will be a dedicated board focus on technology. Governing Council has also agreed to bring in a specialist prop tech advisor. Technology is no longer being treated as a future issue. It is being built into how the institution operates now.
Alongside this, RICS published its professional standard on the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence in Surveying Practice last year. This comes into force on 9 March 2026 and applies to members and regulated firms.
The standard itself acknowledges something important. AI knowledge across the profession is uneven. As a result, it sets a baseline expectation for anyone using AI. Understanding what tools are being used, their limitations, where risk sits, and how professional judgement is retained.
This does not mean everyone needs to understand the standard in detail today. But it does mean firms and individuals need a basic level of AI literacy. Enough to use tools appropriately. Enough to understand risk. Enough to ask better questions.
That gap is what I see most often.
Not resistance. Just uncertainty about where to start.
That’s why I ran AI Explained: A Practical Session for Surveyors and Professionals.
This conversation is not just coming from RICS.
Other professional bodies across the built environment are already publishing AI guidance and resources.
The CIOB released its AI Playbook in 2024, focused on practical application, risk, and decision-making in the built environment: https://www.ciob.org/industry/policy-research/ai-playbook
The Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) is actively covering AI through its Building Engineer knowledge hub, including how AI affects building safety, competence, regulation, and professional practice: https://www.buildingengineer.org/building-engineer/technology/ai/
Beyond surveying, the RTPI has also published best practice advice for planners working with AI, another signal that AI is moving into professional guidance across the built environment: https://www.rtpi.org.uk/new-from-the-rtpi/rtpi-releases-best-practice-advice-for-planners-working-with-ai/
I also talk in more detail about the RICS AI standard and what it signals for firms and practitioners on the This is Surveying podcast.
The direction of travel is clear. Leadership teams are talking about AI. Standards and guidance are appearing. Expectations are starting to shift.
Getting comfortable with the basics now makes everything else easier later.RICS, AI, and why this now matters
If you want a space to keep these conversations going, there’s also The Surveying Room. It’s the free, independent community on Surveyors UK, where surveyors are sharing questions, resources, experiences, and practical examples, including around AI and technology.
Nina Young
Surveyors UK
