How housing associations are adapting to AI

Across the sector, members are considering where AI could be most beneficial to their organisations. We feature seven case studies in this report. They bring to light the opportunities AI presents to housing associations, in increasing efficiency and productivity, while improving resident experience.

In this report, we outline the UK’s AI policy background, introducing the relevant legal frameworks and regulatory developments. The UK is seeing rapid growth in AI development and  adoption. Various existing legal frameworks affect the deployment and governance of AI in practice. These
include intellectual property laws, consumer and competition laws and human rights laws.

Currently, the government have approached AI through a non-statutory framework, based on a set of five core principles for existing regulators, including safety, transparency, fairness, accountability, and redress. The lack of comprehensive regulation and the complexity of AI systems mean that housing associations face increased uncertainty and risk.

Later this year, the government is expected to bring forward a UK AI Bill, establishing centralised, comprehensive and cross-cutting regulation on AI. This would mark a significant shift from the current approach.

AI usage is far outpacing governance and regulatory initiatives, presenting significant ethical concerns that we explore in this report, including:

• Data privacy and security risks, particularly around personal and sensitive data.
• Bias and discrimination, where AI systems may reinforce inequalities if trained on unrepresentative data.
• Lack of accountability and transparency, the root of many AI decisions are not explained or remain obscure.
• Misinformation risks stemming from inaccurate outputs.
• Environmental impact due to the energy and water demands of AI infrastructure.
• Impact on housing developments, as in some areas data centres are blocking developments, due to electricity grid constraints.

The British Standards Institute (BSI) has warned that many UK firms lack robust AI governance despite rising investment, risking operational failures and reputational damage.

Housing associations featured in this report share examples of how good AI governance mechanisms help to mitigate these concerns. The organisations
featured also explored the possibility of using AI to improve efficiency and accuracy in areas such as data handling, compliance checks, and resident communication and service provision. Key recommendations drawn from them include:

• Start small and secure leadership buy-in to build the right culture around AI.
• Create strong governance procedures and policies that balance risk management and compliance with innovation.
• Engage with staff early on, gauge awareness and concerns, and tailor communications and training accordingly.
• Proactively manage risks around data security, accuracy and bias.

(Please note opinions expressed here by the organisation are not of AI experts)

Full report

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