Issue 9: Quantity Surveyor

AI job disruption forecasting — Issue 9

A Quantity Surveyor manages the financial and contractual aspects of construction projects, from estimating costs and preparing tenders to overseeing budgets and ensuring value for money throughout. Quantity Surveyors are seeing routine tasks such as cost estimation, measurement, and document preparation become increasingly automated through AI-powered tools and BIM-integrated systems.

We used the job description of a Quantity Surveyor posted on a public job portal.

Figure 1 shows how AI could impact the different responsibilities of a Quantity Surveyor. Tasks involving documentation, costing, and compliance—such as analysing business or financial data, preparing documentation for contracts, and evaluating the accuracy of data have high automation potential (70–85%), with significant changes expected between 2025 and 2035. In contrast, more collaborative and negotiation-heavy duties, like conferring with clients or resolving problems, have lower automation potential (35–55%) and are likely to be affected later.

Figure 2 compares what’s possible today versus in an Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) future. While immediate automation potential remains moderate for many tasks (8–60%), AGI could push most core functions to 90–96% automation potential, especially in cost estimation, documentation, and data evaluation.

This suggests a future where much of the technical and administrative workload is handled by AI, with Quantity Surveyors focusing more on high-value oversight, strategic decisions, and stakeholder engagement.