Most of England’s housing associations are unprepared to harness the full potential of AI, a new report has claimed.

According to the study – Aspirations and Applications of AI in Social Housing – there is a clear focus upon the sector adopting generative AI technologies, but social housing organisations can lack clear policies and governance frameworks for AI adoption. The research found that whilst 31.1% are already using AI tools in their roles, only 22.1% stated they were aware of AI technology being available for employees in specific roles.

Sponsored by digital transformation and IT services provider BCN, the research was undertaken by Dr. Simon Williams, managing director and founder of independent research company, Service Insights Ltd, with colleagues from Leeds University Business School, and is based on 220 survey respondents and 50 in-depth interviews from 10 housing associations across England.

Among those using AI, 93.8% found it beneficial, citing time savings, better communication, and improved productivity. However, there were concerns about AI accuracy. Only 20.2% of staff trust AI to provide consistently accurate information, and just 41.7% believe AI is aligned with their organisation’s values.

According to the report, staff lack training and confidence when using AI, with less than 25% of staff feeling confident using AI, and 30% rating their confidence as poor or very poor.

BCN, which offers AI services, is calling on housing associations to “urgently address critical gaps in AI strategy”.

Mark Rotheram, CTO at BCN, said: “AI is no longer limited to enterprises, the benefits are now available for every type of organisation. There is a huge opportunity for social housing organisations to level up and move forwards with the right advice and foundations in place. The research shows AI is being used without the right guardrails in place. Housing associations need to get data ready, roadmap their AI strategy and deliver solid implementation and adoption to deliver stronger business outcomes.

“There are many use cases where housing associations could benefit from AI adoption, including predictive analytics, tenant risk profiling and service forecasting tools, but they need support to move from experimentation to strategic, ethical, and impactful AI adoption. Associations need clear leadership, policy development, and structured implementation plans to address the issues the research raised.

“There is an additional need for housing associations to offer AI literacy programmes, training modules and change management for staff, so they understand the benefits of AI. With the right training and AI tools in place housing associations and their tenants stand to benefit enormously.”