General

The robots aren't coming: it's a question of trust

Nothing will ever beat the value placed in human interaction, says NG Managing Director Richard Sutton

The American entrepreneur Sam Altman once said: “AI will probably most likely lead to the end of the world, but in the meantime, there’ll be great companies.”

We tend to agree, to a certain degree. There is also a tendency to think that artificial intelligence – or AI – is some kind of new wizardry; in fact the phrase was used and established as far back as 1956 – as an academic discipline.

Despite the fact that, as surveyors, we have had to meet industry-recognised academic standards as members of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), we believe that a vital part of the success of NG has always been the ability to capture the trust of our clients through face-to-face interaction.

We put a very strong emphasis on the fact that people like dealing with people; people trust people over AI

Trust comes above everything else when dealing with; they rely on your personal ability, integrity and knowledge

There is still a lot of suspicion over AI; just look at the reluctance to accept self-driving cars, which have been proven to currently have a higher rate of accidents than human-driven cars. I know who I’d trust to get me from A to B – and it’s not the robot.

For NG it’s a trust thing; it’s great for our clients to have this degree of faith in our ability to get the job done for them in the right way. It’s an added motivation if one were needed to make sure the job is done well and is a real endorsement of what the NG team can deliver.

Relationships and personal knowledge are always at the heart of successful relationships in property. AI may work in other sectors but the RICS places a significant emphasis on personal development.

No-one ever has a bond with a computer programme; AI has a place but it’s in the background and that’s where it should stay.