The first week of September for many students attending UW is typically a time for students to settle into their spaces for the upcoming semesters. There are many options available to students in finding their ideal space — property management company ACCOMMOD8U being one of the most popular. With AI growing and continuing to shape the professional world, ACCOMMOD8U decided to take a leap and incorporate AI into their business processes. As a result, they partnered with Brand M3dia to develop Ava (ACCOMMOD8U Virtual Assistant), a fully autonomous AI robot, to assist with the September rush of students moving back to Waterloo. 

Imprint sat down with Prica Global Enterprises (a partner of ACCOMMOD8U) representatives Connor Arnold and Meiling Shen to discuss the development and purpose of Ava. “One of the largest purposes behind creating and using Ava within this industry is more or less an adaptation to the ever-growing landscape of artificial intelligence in the workforce,” they said. On top of this, it was shared that Ava is intended to serve many purposes: “Ava is not here to take away jobs, but is considered a tool to be used that will not only assist employees at ACCOMMOD8U but also customers seeking to find various properties at ACCOMMOD8U.”

So what exactly does Ava do and where is she located? Ava can be found in their ACCOMMOD8U office, and by title, Ava is a virtual assistant who offers virtual apartment tours via her touch screen, allowing customers to view different types of units without visiting the units physically. Using advanced machine learning, Ava can tailor each interaction to the individual user. Aside from her practical functioning, Ava has a personality of her own. She can take photos, give high fives, and even crack a few jokes to keep residents and guests entertained to alleviate the traditional stress associated with the move-in process. 

When asked how Ava would benefit students, Arnold and Shen shared that: “For many students, this is their first time moving away from home and it can be a very stressful or overwhelming situation. Providing them with a virtual option will make this process more comfortable for them.” This comment alluded to the fact that many students are very comfortable with technology, but may not be as comfortable with face-to-face interactions. On top of this, it was shared that a large point of emphasis that they wanted to address had to do with the fact that for many students attending UW, English is not their first language. With the use of Ava, students who may not be the strongest in communicating verbally in English will not have to worry about verbal miscommunication and can click use Ava with ease to have their housing needs met. Arnold and Shen believe that Ava removes the “cold corporate feeling of walking into office spaces by providing a fun and light environment.” 

They noted that Ava’s future at ACCOMMOD8U is unclear, but that they are exploring new opportunities for AI integrations in general. “So far we have received very positive feedback regarding Ava.”

All things considered, this seems like a step in the right direction for the overall use of AI within this particular industry. At the very least, Ava seems to be providing a smoother and more welcoming process for students seeking homes during their studies at UW.