AI adoption across construction and commercial property has accelerated significantly over the past year, according to RICS.
The RICS AI in Commercial Property and Construction Report 2026, based on more than 3,100 responses, shows that two thirds of construction professional respondents are using AI in some form, up from just over half in 2025.
This jumps to more than three quarters reporting some level of AI use among commercial property professionals.
Both sectors have the same proportion of organisations running early-stage AI pilots, at 39%, but commercial property has been more successful in converting this into regular use, with regular AI use standing at 29%, compared with 19% in construction.
However, the RICS report identifies a number of remaining barriers to adoption, highlighting a lack of skilled personnel as a major issue, while respondents citing privacy and security concerns in construction increased from 22% to 30% over the past year.
To boost AI adoption, RICS is calling on organisations to consider from the outset how successful AI pilots will become routine practice.
Investment intentions suggest AI adoption will continue, with 47% of commercial property respondents planning to increase AI investment over the next 12 months, while the figure is 37% in construction.
RICS said the findings highlighted that the sector’s challenge had shifted from getting firms to experiment with AI to successfully embedding it into professional practice. However, it flagged substantial progress within both sectors in adopting AI, with the proportion of organisations reporting no AI use falling by more than a third since 2025.
RICS president-elect Maureen Ehrenberg said: “A year ago, this report described an industry approaching an inflection point. The conditions for AI to take hold were in place, but adoption itself was still limited. This year’s data shows that point has been crossed.
“This shift matters, as does the responsibility that comes with it. RICS’s professional standard ‘Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Surveying Practice’, which came into effect in March 2026, provides members with a well-defined framework for acting with confidence.
“This is the moment for the profession to lead, not follow.”
