How we use AI at Hoas

Principles and Practices

Last updated: June 8, 2026

Introduction

Hoas is a student housing foundation in the Helsinki region whose mission is to provide affordable housing for students in the metropolitan area. Artificial intelligence is part of Hoas’s evolving service—we want to leverage new technology to make our tenants’ daily lives easier.

These principles explain how we use artificial intelligence responsibly, transparently and securely.

Where does Hoas use AI?

Customer service chatbot

Hoas’s website and WhatsApp feature Hoas Chatbot, an AI-powered customer service assistant available 24/7. The chatbot can help you:

when applying for an apartment
for questions about maintenance, apartment features and property details
finding contact information and services

The chatbot does not make decisions regarding housing applications or contracts; instead, it directs you to the right information, service, or person. You can always request to be contacted by a Hoas employee. A customer service representative is available via chat on weekdays.

The chatbot’s responses are based on Hoas’s own information and guidelines. Conversations you have with the AI assistant are not saved in your customer records unless you continue the conversation with a customer service representative. The AI assistant does not require or store your personal information. Learn more about how the chat works: How the Hoas chat works

AI-powered housing recommendations

Smart search is an AI-powered housing recommender available on Hoas’s property pages. It uses Hoas’s property data to suggest suitable housing options based on the location of your educational institution, your rental budget, and whether you are looking for housing alone or with a partner or family.

The information you provide is not linked to your personal identity, and it is not used to make any decisions about your housing application.

Conversations with the recommender are used only in anonymised form to improve the service.

You can always browse and filter Hoas properties without using AI.

Content production and communications

Hoas uses AI to support communication and content production in the following situations:

When drafting newsletters and press releases
Creating, editing, and updating website content
Text translation (Finnish/Swedish/English)
Summarizing long message threads when reviewing a client’s case
When drafting customer communications

Hoas staff review and approve all content generated by artificial intelligence before it is published or sent. Artificial intelligence serves as a tool, and Hoas is always responsible for the content.

AI in Hoas’s internal operations

Hoas staff also use AI tools in their internal work, for example, for information retrieval, document processing, and streamlining routine tasks. Internal use follows the same principles as customer service: personal data is not fed into AI services without an appropriate legal basis for data protection, and a human is always responsible for the final result of the work.

What kind of data does AI process?

Hoas’s AI solutions are designed with customer privacy as a top priority. We ensure that:

The chatbot does not collect or store your personal information. If you accidentally provide your personal information, it will be automatically removed from the stored data.
Housing applications are processed using Hoas’s own systems, not AI services.
We use anonymised data to improve our services.
Providers of AI services are committed to processing data in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
If data is transferred outside the EU/EEA, such transfers are based on safeguards approved by the European Commission, such as standard contractual clauses.

For more information about data processing, please see our privacy policy.

Hoas’ AI Principles

Hoas is committed to using artificial intelligence responsibly in accordance with the following principles:

People make the decisions: AI does not make independent decisions regarding housing applications, tenancy agreements, or other decisions affecting tenants. People always make the final decisions.
Transparency: We’ll let you know when you’re using an AI-powered service.
Equality: We ensure that AI does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of, for example, nationality, gender, or any other characteristic.
People-first approach: We use AI to improve our services, not to replace people
Compliance: All AI solutions comply with the EU AI Act and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Feedback and additional information

We are committed to continuously and responsibly improving our use of artificial intelligence. If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions for improvement, please contact us at kehitys@hoas.fi