AI adoption is two words that are quickly becoming difficult to avoid. Almost every industry around the world has hurried to integrate the technological talk of the town, from central Government down to your local takeaways. Social housing is no different, and from maintenance checks to resident communication artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly common. The real question now is, how can this technology be used to deliver real results?
This is where social housing differs from many of other industries embedding AI into their day-to-day. Success for a social housing provider does not come from profit margins. Of course, if resources can be saved and reinvested elsewhere this is a positive, but the bottom line lies with positive results for residents. With such human priorities, implementing AI effectively is a much more nuanced conversation when compared with other industries.
AI, it’s implementation, and how it can translate to real human results is a key theme of Future Foundations. Panel three of our data, technology and innovation zone will focus specifically on how technology can be used to break down barriers, rather than create them.
External AI
Resident-facing AI is perhaps the most sensitive area of implementation. So much of a providers role when it comes to communication with residents is tied to ensuring the people in their homes feel seen, and valued. Communicating with an AI chatbot rather than a human being is something that directly contradicts this goal, and a balance must be struck between time-saving and human connection. Intermediary, agentic AI can be used through digital platforms to identify the specifics of a residents request, and gather valuable information before passing the case on to a housing officer, or referring to the correct line of communication depending on the request.
Resident communication also brings the digital divide to the forefront of positive customer service. Housing associations cater to a diverse audience base including a wide range of ages and backgrounds, and one size will never fit all. Providing an automated digital platform can help to streamline and gather awareness of resident needs, but will never be suitable for everyone, and associations should always utilise multiple modes of communication when ensuring their residents and homes are happy and healthy.
READ MORE: Plaid Cymru Unveil First Raft of Legislation
Artificial intelligence also has vast potential in managing data relevant to maintenance timeframes and the health of elements within homes. When armed with the right data, AI can help to analyse and identify elements within a home that have gone some time without the necessary maintenance, and schedule in appointments to pick up on faults and issues ahead of time. If combined with IoT technology, AI agents can also pick up on compromised elements such as burst pipes or leaky boilers before residents do, meaning that alarms can be raised even if the resident is out of the house or asleep.
Internal AI
Artificial intelligence has just as much of a role to play within the organisation as outside of it. For housing professionals, AI presents an opportunity to minimise time spent on laborious, low-priority tasks and allow them to focus on the work that can really make a difference to residents. The implementation of AI within the social housing sector in an internal sense is an inherently cultural conversation, and housing leaders must think about how their organisation wants to embed AI across their departments, and ensure staff members are supported and aware of the how the technology can be used efficiently.
Initial research from Service Insights Ltd, in partnership with Leeds University Business School identified and analysed the conflicting awareness and perception of AI within the social housing sector. The findings identified an eagerness to get to grips with the technology, but a lack of widespread understanding as to how the technology can be best used for their role specifically. With the current focus in the sector on training and competency, staff members should be briefed and trained on exactly how AI can have a positive impact on their day to day. The report also identified a small number of professionals who were outwardly against the integration of AI into their working life. Just under 10% of respondents who don’t already use AI said they would be against the us of the technology in their role, and housing leaders should be sure to understand their staffs perception of artificial intelligence throughout their organisation.
AI also has serious implications within finance departments across the sector. Generative AI and predictive analytics can now handle everything from financial close processes and invoice reconciliation to complex cash flow forecasting and fraud detection. This is not about replacing people with machines, but rather, about freeing up the finance function from rote, repetitive tasks. This shift allows the team to spend its time on higher-value work that requires judgment, strategy, and creativity.
Enhancement, not replacement
AI as a technology has changed how we view the world since it’s explosion into the public eye. For years, artificial intelligence was restricted to a single role, that of a sci-fi villain or apocalyptic threat. It is worth noting and remembering this when considering how AI can be effectively adopted by teams who are made up of people who most likely grew up on the same media that painted this new tool to be the beginning of the end time. Perception and emotions relative to AI vary widely, not least of all because of the serious environmental implications of the data centres that power it.
What artificial intelligence is to us today is much more boring, it is a tool. Education, awareness and leadership is required to embed the limitations of this tool, and help guide staff in understanding where AI can shine and where it will fall short. With this guidance, and a mindful approach to adoption, artificial intelligence can help to unlock a social housing sector that reaches a new level of efficiency, for both customers and staff.
If you are interested in how AI can make the most of our people, not replace them, secure your space at Housing Executive: Future Foundations today.
