Housing, AI and human intelligence

This means, I think, that we need to ask ourselves now what we value about the way we function as human beings in society, in communities and in our sector.

There is some disagreement on how to distinguish the characteristics of human intelligence, but there is a great deal of agreement on the fundamental difference between human and artificial intelligence.

Human intelligence is not just description and prediction based on data. Humans ask questions about the things we care about. We think counterfactually about the explanations we seek. As a sector, we care about what we can see – homes and services – and what is invisible – relationship, learning and trust – and we value them all.

“Human intelligence is not just description and prediction based on data”

We value AI for its outputs and its speed. We will never know how that is accomplished and most of us won’t care. But, as humans, we value learning, not because of its outputs, but because our hard-earned knowledge and skills enable us to bring into the world what is important to us – and this includes relationships and trust and the ability to think for ourselves in any given situation.

Within our sector, we must make decisions which take account of the complexity of the human beings who have asked us for help and the context in which they are living their lives, as well as the interests of the business and the need for compliance.

This is a dynamic process which cannot be separated from the ethical capacity of individuals and the culture of the organisation and the society in which we operate.

Our human learning in the housing sector has enabled us to be curious and respectful about the needs of the diversity of people who we let homes to.

It has also allowed us to feel and transcend the frustration and uncertainty of the system within which we operate, so that we can deliver to the best of our ability what is needed and wanted, no matter the circumstances.

Within the housing sector, we argue with each other, we assess the evidence presented in those arguments, we draw conclusions, we examine our prejudices, and we collaborate with those who think differently to us.

We open ourselves up to new and unforeseen possibilities, as well as learning from the poor decisions of the past. We test ideas and we admit we don’t know, and will never know, everything.

“Our sector is relational, not transactional”

Our sector is relational, not transactional. The people who rent homes from us are not data. They are human beings who are beyond our knowing, but they can be seen and heard and trusted and respected.

All of us who work in the sector, with or without qualifications, have the opportunity to deepen our learning about ourselves and other human beings every day. We, as a sector, need to value this human learning deeply.

As we move inevitably into a world of artificial intelligence, we can lead the way on showing how we use and value human intelligence and human learning beyond the acquisition of qualifications, through listening, reflecting and connecting to the values of relationship, community and respect that are at the heart of everything we do.

Perhaps now is the time to have that conversation, not with a chatbot, but with each other about how we can ensure that the immense intelligence of human beings is put to work in our sector as we meet the challenge of AI.

Angela Gascoigne, chief executive, Shal Housing