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This is the first judgement your firm makes under the standard, and the one most of the others depend on. Clause 1.2 asks whether AI use has a material impact on the surveying services you deliver. If it does, the firm must record that determination and the reasoning behind it.
The record duty is conditional. The standard requires a record where you determine the impact is material. It does not require a record of a negative determination.So copy saying “you must record whether AI has a material impact” overstates it. That said, recording a reasoned no is still worth doing. A firm that never asked the question looks the same as one that asked and did not write the answer down.

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Why it matters so much

Four of the heavier duties are gated on this answer:
  • the risk register, clause 3.3
  • pre-procurement supplier due diligence, clause 4.1
  • the written reliability decision on outputs, clause 4.2
  • the terms of engagement disclosures, clause 4.3
Answer yes and all four are live. That is why the determination sits near the front of guardbook rather than buried in settings.

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What counts as material

The test is whether an output is capable of influencing delivery of the service and, if so, the nature of that influence, on the facts of the particular use. The standard’s own examples of material outputs are a summary of a document then relied on in writing a report, text composing all or a significant part of an opinion, and a recommendation about which part of a building to investigate for a fault.

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Recording it in guardbook

Open the Dashboard and select Material Impact. It is not in the left-hand menu. The page gives worked examples, then asks whether your firm has determined that its use of AI has a material impact on the surveying services it delivers. Choose yes or no, then write your reasoning. It must be at least 50 characters.
1

Has your firm determined that its use of AI has a material impact?

Select Yes, it’s material or No, it’s not material. The reasoning box appears once you choose.
2

Your reasoning

Why. This is the half clause 1.2 actually asks for, and the half firms skimp on.Write it so it stands up on its own a year from now: what AI is used for, where it touches client work, and what led you to the conclusion.
3

Save a draft, or sign it

Only the firm owner can do this. Other team members can read the page but cannot save or sign. Select Save draft to keep working on it, or Sign and finalise and type your full name. Signing locks the determination and records the date.
If you signed a yes, you can download the determination as a PDF. It shows the name of the person who signed. A signed determination is what the Governance pillar of your GUARD Score looks for, and it is an evidence section in your evidence pack.

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Revisiting it

The determination is not permanent. A firm that answered no in March and has since started using AI to draft report content has changed the facts, and the answer should change with them. Revisit it whenever your AI use materially changes, and at least whenever you review your risk register. To change a signed determination, the firm owner selects Resubmit. The signed version is kept in the audit trail and a new draft opens. Sign the new draft promptly: until you do, your GUARD Score and evidence pack show no signed determination. guardbook does not remind you to revisit it at your quarterly risk review, so put it on your own checklist.