RICS introduces global standard for the responsible use of AI in surveying

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ highly anticipated policy, “Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Surveying Practice”, has now come into effect.

Published in September 2025 and effective from this month, the policy, rather than a plea against the use of AI, sets out how RICS-regulated surveyors and firms should use AI within professional services.

RICS cannot regulate the technology itself, and so this new global standard is an acknowledgement that its adoption is inevitable and should both improve efficiency and insight whilst its adopters retain the trust of the public. Its central principle is that artificial intelligence should support, but never replace, professional judgement.

Key requirements of the policy

The standard introduces several requirements for RICS members and regulated firms:

• Implementation of frameworks, risk registers and due diligence to govern its use including documenting how these tools can be and are used.
• Personal responsibility for outputs, and an agreement that professional judgement cannot be replaced with generative AI information with all output needing to be verified by a qualified professional.
• Assessment and approval are essential, as is transparency on whether the practitioner has used AI within the project delivery.
• Adopted responsibility of the firm to explain the role of AI in terms of ethics and technical capability, alongside its risks.

Industry interpretation

Coverage of the policy has hailed it as a balanced response to rapid technological change.

Many believe that AI adoption in surveying is increasingly unavoidable as technologies such as data analytics and digital information modelling become embedded in professional practice. 

The goal of the policy is to sustain trust in the profession by putting in these guidelines, and to strengthen the RICS’s position as a global leader in standards – both within the built environment and within AI adoption.

The modernisation of RICS

RICS is a traditional institution that sometimes falls foul of delayed reactions, so this new standard is reflecting a modernisation in the organisation’s culture, and an attempt to rebuild confidence in its governance.

By establishing rules for new and emerging technologies, RICS is showing that they will evolve alongside change, be that technological, environmental, or economic.

Development of the policy

The next steps in the implementation of this global standard will be to see how the Institution monitors compliance, where its goalposts for irresponsible use stand, and what constitutes as use at all.

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