Apartmentalize Special Report: Why AI Adoption Needs Accountability
On Day 2, operators looked at better AI execution and the human work behind it.
Artificial intelligence is still a hot topic for operators but the conversations have shifted. Now, they’re about operations, control and having the right foundation before scaling uses. Operators already know what AI can automate for them, but they also want to know how to scale it, how to build workflows for their teams, keep their data secure and, of course, govern usage. They’re also asking how to make sure the technology improves the resident and prospect experience rather than making it too impersonal.
Operators need structured data, processes and ownership of tools. This came up in two Wednesday sessions at the National Apartment Association’s 2026 Apartmentalize conference titled Smarter by Des-AI-gn: Using AI for Better Decision Making and Tech Isn’t the Enemy… Apathy Is. One focused on the back-end discipline needed to make AI useful, while the other discussed the front-end accountability needed for automation to feel intentional.
Why AI needs discipline
On the back end, your data strategy is what will give you a competitive advantage. In the first session, Rachel Ibarra, vice president of data and innovation at Cardinal Group Companies noted that what happens on the back end will determine how useful AI is for operators. Asking it to interpret messy or inconsistent information won’t produce helpful results. Instead, operators need to first fix the systems and processes that feed AI to ensure they’re clean and structured data.
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Moderator Andrew Doar, client strategy partner at EliseAI, said that something as simple as teams entering free text or notes into a CRM platform inconsistently makes it harder for an AI tool to make sense of that data. “Once it’s structured, that’s when it becomes valuable for large language models to leverage it and determine the intent of that lead or the next step for that lead,” he said.
Brad Kirshenbaum, vice president of strategic initiatives & technology at Reside Living emphasized the importance of training and guardrails. “It’s getting everybody to do it the same way or as close to that as possible,” he said. Give teams the options they should be using so you know all your data will be helpful. Ibarra pointed out that when people don’t follow processes, it shows up in data. The same idea applies to resident-facing automation. In Tech Isn’t the Enemy … Apathy Is, Shelley Robinson, president of ConqHer Consulting, warned that operators can’t set it and forget it. Your digital customer experience “is ripe with opportunities to lose people, so governance is really important … you have to watch your whole flow,” Robinson said.
Keep data current, provide context
Data also needs to be updated and reviewed regularly so that your metrics will reflect the most current information. For automated leasing tools such as chatbots, voice AI and self-guided tours, if information is outdated or no one is monitoring the experience, the prospect journey can start to break down.
And on the back end, there needs to be human review, too. This is nonnegotiable, according to Ibarra, who noted that AI often hallucinates facts or numbers, so you need to have someone who can check that numbers make sense and do that validation aspect.
Robinson said this requires “radical ownership” around AI adoption. Someone has to own how the tool is rolled out, how it is monitored and how teams are supported after launch. Josh Hinchley, vice president of leasing and marketing at Sentinel Management Co., said his teams try to create an environment where employees can raise concerns in real time. When a new system or process is introduced, there’s a lead person who owns it, so employees know where to go when something breaks or does not make sense. “If you see it, you own it,” Hinchley said.
How you talk to AI also makes a difference. “AI is making a decision about what it thinks you most likely mean,” said Ibarra. When it comes to prompts, it’s important to use the right context and the right words. “The more gaps you can fill in, the easier it will be to get good answers,” said Kirshenbaum. That context also matters just as much in the leasing journey. Automation can answer basic questions, send follow-ups and help schedule tours, but operators still need to think about tone, brand voice and when a human should step in and take over.
Hinchley said operators often think they need more leads when the real issue is how they handle the leads they already have. At some Sentinel properties, teams were getting 100 leads a week but only a few leases. “Let’s figure out the 100 leads and what to do with them first,” he said. He uses AI in those cases to help qualify renters, while his teams focus on the prospects who are a bit further along in the process.
Choose tools carefully
What should operators look for when evaluating AI tools? Be mindful of new companies and their long-term viability, Kirshenbaum noted. Ask for their competitors, Ibarra recommended. A company that says they don’t have any competitors or that their competitor is a major company that’s already dominating the market are red flags.
Before buying a product, find out what the required maintenance is and how robust or minimal it is, especially considering the specific configurations that you may need for your firm. Integration is also a concern. You don’t want a product that doesn’t fit in your environment and work with your existing processes. That includes the human workflow. If a tool creates more confusion for site teams, sends generic messages to prospects or doesn’t reflect how your property operates, it can create a new problem.
Service still wins
AI by itself doesn’t improve operations. It’s useful when operators use it with discipline and management. That human follow-through is especially important in leasing. Robinson said service is more important than ever as a differentiator. When every community has similar technology, similar amenities and similar digital tools, the experience renters remember often comes down to how they were treated.
