> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.guardbook.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Material impact: the clause 1.2 determination > The judgement that switches on most of the RICS standard's duties, and how guardbook records it. 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**. > [!NOTE] > > 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. ## 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. ## 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. | Use | Likely answer | | - | - | | An automated valuation model producing the figures that go to clients | **Material.** The AI is doing core professional work. | | Meeting notes summarised by an assistant, feeding into report drafting | **Likely material.** The AI is shaping content that reaches client outputs. | | A partner occasionally tidying the wording of internal emails | **Probably not material.** Nothing is touching client deliverables. | 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. ## 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](https://help.guardbook.ai/getting-started/guard-score.md) looks for, and it is an evidence section in your [evidence pack](https://help.guardbook.ai/evidence-audit/evidence-pack.md). ## 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. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.