Like the rest of the world, body corporate managers are starting to ask how AI systems like chatGPT will change their industry.
For a job that relies on clear communication to and from customers, the addition of new technology that promises to automate everyday interactions is a source of great hope and existentialist dread. Will AI provide us with easy access to administrative support that will allow managers to assist body corporates by focusing on higher-level functions, or will it take over management altogether, replacing managers with ever friendly, ever available chatbots?
We can all project out our dreams of dystopian/utopian futures. In the meantime, it seems there will be a few years of experimenting with integrating a powerful new tool into everyday work lives. The history of technological innovations shows that, while this may bring about some improvements, there will also be multiple challenges as we work it out.
For anyone who hasn’t read the news this year, the big breakthrough in recent AI technology has been the introduction of free technology that allows humans to interact with computer systems on a near human to human level. And, because the programs can respond in seconds by reviewing millions of documents, they can provide detailed information almost instantaneously that it might take human hours or days to produce.
The possibilities are myriad, but they also come with many caveats. Responses provided by AI can lack common sense or emotional intelligence. There are issues with interpreting bias and context and a limited capacity to understand when it may need to be corrected. The same may also be true of humans, but not in quite the same way.
Time will tell whether the systems can develop these facilities. For the immediate future, it seems there are a lot of potential gains in helping with administrative tasks but higher level cognitive thinking will still require human input.
For body corporates, this is an exciting proposition. Running schemes require a lot of everyday functionality while requiring skilful knowledge and interpretation of people and the law. Does AI have the potential to take on some of that administrative work, freeing committees and managers to provide enhanced services to help turn buildings into communities?
Here in the Tower offices, we are as curious as anyone to find out, and we expect the technology will not just help our internal processes but will soon be used by owners who want to contact their body corporate.
To give you a sample of what you might expect, we asked ChatGPT to write a version of this article, giving it the instruction:
Write a 500 word article about how AI technology will change body corporate management in Queensland. Make the tone professional.
Click here to see the response.
What do you think? Maybe it’s a little robotic, but it only took a minute to produce, whereas this article took a couple of hours. It makes you think about the future and where we may be headed. Watch this space.
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If you have any questions, ask your manager for assistance:
Tammy Lynch: tammy.lynch@towerbodycorporate.com.au P: 0466 156 765
Samantha Morrison: samantha.morrison@towerbodycorporate.com.au P: 0434 670 058
Kelly Borell: Kelly.borell@towerbodycorporate.com.au P: 0435 766 852
Will Marquand: will.marquand@towerbodycorporate.com.au P: 0427 125 656