The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has published the first global professional standard for the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in surveying practice, in what the organisation describes as a ‘decisive move to guide the profession through the rapid evolution of AI technologies’.
As part of the adoption of AI in surveying, firms will be required to declare its use to clients. The use of AI in property is increasingly widespread, bringing both opportunity and risk along with concerns about the reliability of data.
RICS acting president elect Maureen Ehrenberg explained:
“Artificial intelligence offers real promise to the surveying profession – but only if used responsibly and ethically. This standard ensures surveyors remain at the forefront of innovation while protecting clients, data, and public trust.”
The standards are designed to ‘reinforce’ the core role of surveyors, Ehrenberg added. And, as part of compliance with the standards, there is a requirements on surveyors to ensure they have a ‘basic understanding’ of AI.
This will include:
- The different types and subsets of AI system and their basic ways of working, limitations and failure modes
- The risk of AI systems producing erroneous output
- The inherent risk of bias in AI systems, and
- Data usage and data risks relevant to the use of AI systems.
The scope of the standards covers the use of AI systems developed and provided by third party organisations that have a ‘material impact’ on the delivery of surveying services. The standards outline the use of AI to summarise documents which is then relied upon for the purposes of producing subsequent reports or composing opinion as examples of potential impact on service delivery.
Importantly, the standards require surveyors to conduct due diligence on the provider of the AI solution, including:
- Keeping a record of the extent to which practical testing of an AI system for fitness for purpose has been carried out
- Stakeholders involved in the development of the AI system
- Compliance with applicable data and confidentiality laws and evidence of permissions obtained where data and content relating to individuals have been used
- The accuracy, relevance and diversity of the datasets used to train the AI, including any known gaps in the data, noting any particular known risks of bias.
RICS said that alongside firm’s due diligence, clients must be informed in writing of when and how AI will be used in service delivery, including options for redress or opting out.
Ehrenberg concluded:
“This initiative reflects RICS’s broader mission to uphold the highest technical and ethical standards across the built and natural environment, ensuring innovation is aligned with the public interest.”
The standards will be implemented from 9 March 2026. The full standard document is available here.
