Artificial Intelligence: transforms builds

Think Artificial Intelligence (AI) and an image of Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator is bound to pop up. And Blade Runner 2049 presents a fairly bleak vision of a future where bioengineered humans do the stuff we regular humans can no longer be bothered with.

But away from Hollywood, AI is increasingly employed in the everyday activities that we take for granted. And the ability of automation to complete both menial and complex tasks, as well as more dangerous jobs, is becoming more evident in the built environment.

In construction, in particular, many tasks are repetitive and boring but equally risky; for example, working at height or with flammable materials. Automation reduces risk, making a job faster and safer as well as cheaper to complete.

The flipside, of course, is that automation means fewer people are required to work in the likes of construction, leading to a possible diminishing of human capital.

An insight paper from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) looks at the positives and negatives of the AI revolution in the built environment, discussing how technology is set to transform not only the property industry but the whole environment as the world becomes increasingly more urban. Buildings will be designed and constructed in new ways, with computer modelling and drones playing a huge part.

But what does this mean for ordinary homeowners and the homes they will buy and sell in their lifetimes? Builds are likely to be completed faster with potential financial savings for buyers. Pre-fabricated constructions are becoming the norm rather than the exception on largescale developments.

Computer applications and programs provide the automation required for lighting and heat control. Many of us can already remotely control our heating systems, flicking on the thermostat on the bus home on cold winter nights.

The UK's vast base of 19th and 20th century homes will, of course, still survive. But the coming generations of homes have the capacity to transform how we live.

How AI will affect the built environment will be discussed at the RICS World Built Environment Forum to be held in London in April 2018.

In the meantime, the chartered surveyors who are members of the RICS and carry out the RICS Level 2 Survey, RICS Level 3 Survey and Property Valuation for Surveyor Local's clients will continue to combine their traditional methods with the very latest in technology to provide the most accurate survey possible.

Along with pen and paper, expect a surveyor to come armed with a personal recorder, the latest in digital cameras, a damp meter, binoculars and a tablet with a sophisticated software package that can record the vital statistics and details of the property you want to buy. He or she will also carry a torch and a set of ladders, just in case.

Whatever type of survey you need for your new home, Surveyor Local's expert sales team can advise on your best options. Call now on 0800 038 6667 or get an instant quote.