Ever thought, “Can’t AI just do this bit for me?”

In this episode of This Is Surveying, Nina Young talks to Will Doyle, former quantity surveyor and founder of Gather, about AI, automation and the changing role of the QS.

Will shares how a site manager used AI to make sense of months of project information in just a few clicks, while they explore poor site records, AI “slop”, professional judgement and why surveyors still need to understand the fundamentals.

If AI takes away more of the repetitive work, what happens to the experience surveyors need to build?

What We Cover

• Will's route into quantity surveying
• His accidental career in rail with Balfour Beatty
• How the QS role has changed
• AI and automation in quantity surveying
• The risks of relying on AI without experience
• Professional judgement and the "judgement paradox"
• Why human skills still matter
• The story behind Gather
• Why good records matter when projects go wrong
• Knowledge, culture and discipline
• AI, data and construction project management
• The future of work in surveying and construction

Guest Links

• Will Doyle - https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-doyle-gather/
• Gather - https://www.gatherinsights.com/

Useful Links

• The AI QS Newsletter - https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-ai-qs-7354050754480906242/

Guest Bio

Will Doyle is a former quantity surveyor and the founder of Gather, a platform focused on helping construction and infrastructure teams capture better project records. Will began his career in rail after studying quantity surveying at Loughborough, working across the UK and internationally before moving into technology and founding Gather. Today, Gather works with organisations across infrastructure, including nuclear, rail, highways, energy and utilities, with thousands of projects using the platform. Will also writes and speaks regularly about AI, quantity surveying, construction technology and how the profession is changing.

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Connect with me - Nina Young on LinkedIn