AI & AutomationIn practice
Before buying property AI, ask what happens when it fails
An RICS Property Journal guide sets out five questions surveyors should answer before procuring AI tools, from data handling to supplier failure.
A practical guide published in RICS Property Journal on 23 October 2026, written by Tom Storey MRICS, frames AI procurement as a professional responsibility rather than an IT task. It is built around five questions: what problem the tool solves, how it handles and stores data, how it works and where it might fail, who owns it inside the firm, and what happens if the supplier disappears.
The article links several points to the RICS professional standard on the responsible use of AI in surveying practice, which came into effect on 9 March 2026, including written assessments and risk registers where AI output has a material impact on a service. Its supplier-continuity checks — tested data export, exit notice periods and financial viability — are presented as good practice rather than requirements.
Why it matters
The failure question is the one most procurement processes skip. A language model that invents facts and a valuation model that produces a confident figure from thin comparables fail in different ways, and each needs a different review step. This briefing summarises the guide; it is not legal or regulatory advice, and firms should read the standard itself.
Sources
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