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CIBSE set up an AI Working Group in response to the rapid adoption of AI tools, and their now omnipresent consultation in personal and professional life. The impact and significance of the use of these tools throughout our industry is impossible to overstate: as amplifiers of engineering expertise, improvers of building safety, facilitators of high-difficulty tasks, and alleviators of repetitive work, freeing up engineers to focus on activities higher up the value chain and maximising innovation and productivity as a result. However, as with any technological shift, AI also introduces new risks and challenges, and demands new guardrails in an industry where safety of buildings is paramount. CIBSE, through this position statement, wants to ensure that this revolution is channelled ethically and holistically, and in a purpose-driven way for the betterment of engineering practice today and tomorrow.
As an institution, CIBSE has always been and continues to be at the forefront of advocating for the best interests of building engineers. CIBSE exists to champion and empower building engineers in delivering the highest-quality, sustainable projects in the best interests of future generations — and this message is at the heart of CIBSE’s position on responsible AI use. It would be counterproductive to curtail or discourage the adoption of new ways of working, but we also have an obligation to remind engineers of the legal and professional risks involved. This is the framing and approach that CIBSE’s AI Working Group took in developing this position statement — opportunity first, with a grounding in current and anticipated regulatory landscapes.
Table of contents
Note from the publisher
1 Introduction
2 CIBSE’s position on AI
2.1 Why CIBSE is publishing a position statement on AI
2.2 Balancing opportunities and risks
2.3 Governance and the regulatory environment
2.4 Future skills
2.5 Institutional leadership
3 AI in building engineering
3.1 Types of AI
3.2 Understanding LLMs
3.3 Understanding agentic AI
3.4 Use of AI in a complex engineering environment
3.5 The boundary of engineering judgement and requirements for safe and reliable use of AI
4 Risks of AI and how to mitigate them
4.1 Legal and regulatory risks
4.2 Liability and accuracy
4.3 Confidentiality
4.4 Insurance
4.5 Ethical considerations
4.6 Environmental risks
4.7 AI in project scopes
4.8 Training and reskilling
5 Being AI ready
5.1 Impact of AI on CIBSE engineers
5.2 Mitigating risks
5.3 Prompt engineering
6 Associated CIBSE documentation
7 Other industry guidance
7.1 Engineering Council and Royal Academy of Engineering: Statement of Ethical Principles (updated February 2026)
7.2 RICS: Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Surveying Practice (September 2025)
7.3 RIBA: artificial intelligence resources and annual AI report
7.4 ICE: Code of Professional Conduct (updated April 2026)
7.5 IStructE: artificial intelligence guidance
7.6 BSI: AI management system standard (BS ISO/IEC 42001:2023)
7.7 CIBSE and BESA: joint alliance on AI
7.8 ASHRAE: Vision 2035 and AI Intelligent Building Lifecycle
8 Relevant policy and legislation on AI
8.1 United Kingdom
8.2 European Union
8.3 Personal data
References
Chair: Jon Belfield (InTandem Systems Ltd)
Contributors: Ben Arnold (CIBSE), Carl-Magnus von Behr (CompliMind), Gary Chiang (CLP), Luke Cooper (Arup), Vanda Dimitriou (Loughborough University), Amira Elnokaly (University of Lincoln), Juan Ferrari
(Hoare Lea), Stephanie Gauthier (University of Southampton), Eliot Gillings (Royal Academy of Engineering), Krishnan Gowri (ASHRAE), Sila Gulec (Thornton Tomasetti), Christopher Hughes
(Metron Labs), Max McCone (Mott MacDonald), Sharon Richardson (Hoare Lea), Haico Schepers (Arup), Joe Short (Demand Logic), Davor Stojnic (Tyréns Hilson Moran), Rui Tang (UCL), Martha Tsigkari (Foster + Partners), Ed Wealend (Longevity Partners), May Winfield (Buro Happold), Hailun Xie (University of Exeter), Yangang Xing (Nottingham Trent University)