The built environment is currently undergoing rapid transformation, driven primarily by sustainability and digital innovation. This transformation means that surveyors everywhere need to adapt to these evolving changes.
The theme of this year’s Rics NI conference is “adapting to an evolving built environment”, designed to stimulate conversations on the practical implications of the green and digital revolution.
The programme included discussions on artificial intelligence (AI) and how industry professionals are harnessing the power of this technology in data collection, design processes, project management and asset analysis.
While we encourage members to embrace the advantages that AI can bring to the profession, it is essential to ensure that its use remains transparent, reliable, and aligned with professional standards. The use of AI, without the fundamental knowledge a surveyor has, can be very dangerous.
This is why Rics has developed a new Professional Standard on ‘Responsible use of AI’. It’s designed to help members understand how to communicate the role of AI in their work, assess the reliability of AI-generated outputs, and ensure compliance with privacy and confidentiality obligations, whilst also addressing governance, risk management, procurement, and due diligence when implementing AI driven tools..
As we think about harnessing new technologies, we must not forget the value that surveyors bring to the industry, and that human judgement and input remains a necessity.
And with this in mind, we remain conscious of the skills shortage across the sectors and Rics is working tirelessly towards closing the gap.
The results of the most recent Rics construction monitor detailed that surveyors in Northern Ireland continue to report shortages in skilled professionals such as quantity surveyors and construction professionals.
To help the skills debate move forward, we will publish the results of our first ever Skills Report later in September, which will go beyond the anecdotal and focus on the evidence and challenges, confirming the skills shortage is real, it is urgent, and it poses a threat.
NI surveyors say that there’s limited funding for higher education programmes, and challenges in attracting the next generation of employees into the sector. The local government and industry need to join forces to tackle this ongoing issue, and Rics will continue to work with the relevant bodies to push for change.
And with emerging and evolving fields such as AI and climate, there is a need for professionals to be retrained with focus on these fields, putting additional pressure on the recruitment process.
It goes without saying that surveyors in Northern Ireland are doing great things, and it is events like the Rics NI conference that allows our members to showcase all they are doing for our built environment.
Nicholas Maclean OBE, acting president at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics)
And as we discuss the hard work being done, it also gives us the space to talk about how we can do more to build a more sustainable future for local communities in Northern Ireland and beyond.
Nicholas Maclean OBE is acting president at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics)