AI quantity surveying: AI that assists and never approves
AI quantity surveying is only useful when it is clear what the AI does and what it does not do. In AiN Engine, the software I develop and use in my own work as a quantity surveyor, AI suggests: a mapping to an item, a classification of elements, an explanation of a line and answers about the model. Every suggestion stays a candidate until a person checks and approves it, and none of them goes into a quantity. This page sets out what you see in the windows, where it helps in my work, and what the AI does not do.
AI quantity surveying in AiN: what you see
Most of the AI windows sit inside the full bill of quantities; the rest are in the Tools menu and the account settings:
- The AI Detection menu in the bill of quantities. It says plainly that these are AI suggestions only and that they do not go into the quantity. It has Filter Elements, with twelve element kinds and the note "Not verified detection"; a count of chapters that have no model data; a short explanation of how detection works; the way into the mappings review; and an assignment option for lines with no item, marked as proposals only.
- An explanation of a line. From a line's actions menu, a chat opens that explains the line in plain language, with a Send to AI option for a question about it. The same menu can also ask for an assignment proposal.
- What to send to AI. A panel where you choose exactly which text goes to the AI. Only text is sent.
- AI Assistant. A chat connected to the project data and the loaded model, with voice input and file attachments. It has a personal knowledge tab, where you paste lines from your own Excel for later projects, saved to the cloud. It also has a Generate Master Report button that builds a five-sheet Excel workbook from the model data, from the raw data to a BOQ sheet. Downloading the workbook needs an active subscription.
- Account settings. A panel for AI use, with the option of connecting a personal key from an AI provider.
The rule: a suggestion is a candidate, not a fact
Every AI action in AiN is labelled as a suggestion. The AI does not write into the bill of quantities, does not approve a line, and does not invent a quantity, a unit or a source. Every quantity has a source marked next to it, such as the model or a manual completion. Where a value is missing, the line shows it as missing, not zero.
Approval is a click by a person. In the quantity approval column you click Approve, and the line gets an approval date. If the quantity changes after approval, the approval goes stale and the line asks to be approved again. Approval needs a signed-in account and works with one model loaded, and the footer of the app carries a notice about the nature of AI answers.
What the AI does not do in AiN: it does not approve, does not write into the bill of quantities, does not invent a quantity and does not replace a quantity surveyor's check. When it is wrong, and that happens, you reject the suggestion and move on.
Why I built it this way
A bill of quantities is a document that contractors price from and that payment claims are checked against. A wrong quantity does not stay in the bill: it travels into the contractors' bids, the contract and the claims. So in AiN the AI does not touch the number. It can suggest, explain and sort, but every suggestion looks like a suggestion, and the bill is approved by a person who checked it.
That takes an extra click and an extra check. In my view that is exactly where a quantity surveyor adds value, not a step worth skipping.
Where it helps in my work
Day to day, AI quantity surveying helps me most with reading and sorting, not with deciding numbers:
- A line I did not write. When I come back to a project after a break, or continue a bill someone else started, the explanation of a line gives me a starting point. Then I check it against the model and the drawings.
- Lines with no item. An assignment proposal gives me a candidate to check, instead of searching for an item from scratch.
- Control over what leaves. In the bill of quantities I choose what is sent, and only text goes. On a client's project I want to know exactly what leaves my computer.
- A report from the model. The engineering report puts the model data into one workbook. I use it as a basis for checking, not as an approved deliverable.
- Knowledge that stays. Lines from my own Excel are kept in the knowledge tab, ready for the next project.
How to work with the suggestions, step by step
- Load a model and open the full bill of quantities.
- From the AI Detection menu, open What to send to AI and choose which text goes out.
- Ask for assignment proposals for lines with no item, or for an explanation of one line from its actions menu.
- Check each suggestion against the model, the specification and the drawings, then approve or reject it. Proposed mappings are reviewed in the mappings review, described on the BIM to BOQ mapping page.
- Finally, turn on the approval column from the View menu and approve quantities line by line, or all checked lines at once.
The other windows of the software are collected on the BOQ software page, and how every number carries its source is explained on the quantity audit trail page. I am Yaakov Avital, a quantity surveyor and registered building technician in Israel, and the rule "AI suggests, a person approves" is the one I apply first in my own work.
Frequently asked questions
Does AI quantity surveying mean the AI calculates the quantities?
No. In AiN every quantity has a source marked next to it, mainly the model, and whatever is missing is completed by hand and labelled. The AI suggests mappings, classifications and explanations, and its suggestions do not go into the quantity.
What is sent to the AI?
In the bill of quantities you choose exactly which text goes out, and only text is sent. The AI Assistant is a chat connected to the project data, so it works with that data.
Can I rely on the explanation of a line?
As a starting point, yes; as proof, no. The explanation helps you read the line, and the check is made against the model and the drawings.
Who approves in the end?
A person. Approval is a click in the approval column, with a date, and it goes stale when the quantity changes. The AI cannot approve a line.
Want to see AiN on your own model? The AiN Engine site has the demo video, the pilot for one project and the login. For quantity surveying work in Israel, write to me through the form.
AiN Engine website Contact form* Created with AI for marketing, for illustration only. Not reviewed by Yaakov Avital and not professional advice. Every project must be checked on its own by a professional quantity surveyor and an engineer.