AI can sound intimidating—like it belongs in a Silicon Valley lab, not in a housing office in Leeds or Glasgow. But here’s the thing: if you’ve ever used Google, spoken to Alexa, or watched Netflix, you’ve already been using Artificial Intelligence.

So let’s break it down without the jargon.

🤖 What Is AI, Really?

AI (Artificial Intelligence) is just a fancy name for systems that can learn from data and make decisions—or suggestions—based on that learning. It doesn’t mean robots are taking over. It just means machines can now do some things humans usually do: understanding language, spotting patterns, or making predictions.

You’ve likely seen it in:

- Spell checkers (like Grammarly)

- Email suggestions (“Want to schedule a meeting?”)

- Customer service chatbots

- Call routing systems that ask “Tell me what you're calling about”

That’s AI at work—quietly, behind the scenes.

🏘️ AI in Social Housing (Yes, Already)

Even if your organisation isn’t “using AI,” it probably is without realising:

- Call centres use AI to route calls or transcribe tenant messages.

- Repairs software sometimes includes smart scheduling or diagnostics powered by AI models.

- Document scanning tools may use AI to extract text or data from forms.

And if you’ve ever had an auto-filled complaint form or seen a tenant offered support before they’ve asked—it’s probably AI making that possible.

🧠 So Why the Confusion?

Because people often confuse AI with automation. Automation is rule-based (“If X, then do Y”). AI is learned behaviour—it adapts over time.

Think:
Automation = a robot that always opens the door at 9am
AI = a system that learns when tenants usually arrive and opens it slightly earlier on Mondays

Learned behaviour means the system notices patterns and adjusts its actions accordingly. For example, if tenants tend to report boiler issues more often after a cold snap, an AI could learn to flag properties at higher risk even before the calls start coming in.

🛠️ Why It Matters

Understanding AI now means you can shape how it’s used—not just have it handed down by IT teams or software vendors.

Common Sense AI takeaway:
You don’t need to be technical. You just need to be curious. AI is already in your world—now’s the time to make it work for you.

Next up in the Common Sense AI series: “Generative AI – Sounds Fancy, But It’s Just a Smart Copy Tool”