Artificial Intelligence is quietly reshaping the student accommodation experience.rom chatbots answering late-night queries and streamlining bookings, to using data to provide a more personalised experience, AI is transforming how purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) operators run their properties and the way in which students experience them.
Across the industry, there are examples of operators using AI to improve operations, particularly the student booking experience. Operators are using AI-driven chatbots to provide instant responses to questions about rent payments, maintenance, or move-in dates. Booking platforms such as Student.com’s new AI-powered booking platform use AI to secure bookings almost instantly and reduce the process from days to minutes.
AI is also being used to predict demand and occupancy, suggest personalised services and amenities for students based on each resident’s behaviour and preferences, streamline maintenance reporting and responses, and even to help prevent resident conflict through predictive analytics.
AI is also being used to improve building operations – AI-enabled sensors can adjust lighting and temperature automatically, while predictive maintenance tools help building managers prevent disruptions before they occur.
In some cases, AI is even being used to detect early signs of student distress, flagging social withdrawal or patterns that may suggest someone is struggling and prompting pastoral support.
But as AI becomes more embedded in PBSA, it raises critical questions. What happens to the human touch? And how to balance efficiency with privacy?
There are also growing concerns around surveillance. AI-powered security systems, facial recognition check-ins, and behaviour-tracking tools may enhance safety, but they can also create an atmosphere of constant monitoring. Add to that the ethical grey areas of data collection and privacy, and the picture becomes more complex.
The challenge facing accommodation providers is not whether to adopt AI, but how. The most forward-thinking operators are using AI to support staff rather than replace them. By automating routine tasks, residential teams are freed up to build relationships, support wellbeing, and foster community. Implemented strategically, it is clear that AI can help student accommodation become more responsive, more inclusive, and more attuned to individual needs. AI is certainly the future of PBSA, but the kind of future it shapes depends on the choices made today.
For a deeper dive into how AI is changing the student living sector and to hear from leaders across the PBSA sector about what is at stake, head over to the Summer Edition of Unlocked, GSL’s online magazine.