AI for Breakfast

Chris Witham • June 17, 2024

Post 152 - How AI is transforming the UK house moving experience.


As I'm currently in the middle of doing this I thought I'd ask Perplexity for its take on house moving! Here's what I got:


Moving house is often cited as one of life's most stressful events, with a seemingly endless list of tasks to coordinate. However, the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are set to revolutionise the house moving experience in the UK, streamlining the process and reducing the headaches for movers.

One of the key areas where AI is making an impact is in the property search process. AI-powered property portals like OnTheMarket are using natural language search capabilities to make finding your dream home easier than ever. Rather than manually ticking search criteria, you can now describe your ideal property conversationally, such as "a three-bed house in Manchester with a garden and parking, close to good schools". The AI algorithms will then match your description to the most relevant listings. Some portals are even introducing voice search, so you can literally tell them what you're looking for.

Once you've found your new home, AI can assist with the packing process. Apps are being developed that allow you to create a visual inventory of your possessions simply by taking photos or videos of each room. Computer vision AI will identify and catalogue your items, estimate their size and weight, and even suggest how many boxes you'll need. It can generate labels for your boxes and provide a detailed checklist to work through.

When it comes to the move itself, AI route optimisation is helping removal companies plan the most efficient journeys, taking into account factors like traffic conditions, road closures and parking restrictions. This not only saves time and fuel, but also provides customers with more accurate arrival time estimates, reducing anxiety on moving day.

AI chatbots are providing 24/7 customer support, answering common queries about the moving process, helping to arrange additional services, and even providing tips for settling into your new neighbourhood. These chatbots free up human agents to deal with more complex issues, while still providing movers with instant, helpful responses to their questions.

In the near future, AI could even help with tasks like redirecting your mail, updating your address across multiple services, and helping you find the best deals on utilities and telecoms for your new home, based on your specific usage patterns.

While AI won't be able to physically pack your boxes or transport your furniture just yet, it is already transforming the house moving journey in the UK. By taking on many of the time-consuming research and planning tasks, and providing helpful prompts and reminders along the way, AI is set to make the process significantly smoother and less stressful. As the technology continues to evolve, it's exciting to imagine how AI will further enhance the house moving experience in years to come.

Citations:
[1] https://arcrelocation.com/relocation-technology/
[2] https://aussiegroup.co.uk/moving-made-easy-how-ai-tools-can-simplify-your-relocation/
[3] https://gmsmobility.com/blog/how-relocation-management-companies-leverage-ai-technology/
[4] https://www.bournemouth-removals.co.uk/2023/10/07/how-technology-is-transforming-the-removals-industry-this-year-uk/
[5] https://www.abilities.com/community/relocation.html
[6] https://geekyants.com/en-gb/blog/how-ai-is-reshaping-the-uk-real-estate-industry-in-2024
[7] https://www.artefact.com/blog/10-ai-tools-which-will-evolve-uk-property-businesses-in-2024/
[8] https://www.aareon.co.uk/News/Housing-Technology-Guide-to-AI-Machine-Learning.630918.html
[9] https://www.estateagenttoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2023/7/onthemarkets-tech-breakthrough--pioneering-artificial-intelligence-powers-search-tool
[10] https://www.estateagenttoday.co.uk/guides-tips/breaking-news/2024/3/property-portal-unveils-ai-assistant-to-help-homebuyers
[11] https://www.removalreviews.co.uk/move/how-artificial-intelligence-can-make-your-home-move-easier/
[12] https://thenegotiator.co.uk/news/blog-the-surprising-way-ai-can-help-agents-sell-homes/
[13] https://www.outra.co.uk
[14] https://uk.pcmag.com/productivity/143274/packing-boxes-and-hiring-movers-is-there-an-app-for-that
[15] https://thenegotiator.co.uk/news/tech-street-co-uk-launches-property-descriptions-ai-tool/
[16] https://www.onthemarket.com/content/meet-otiem-your-ai-property-search-assistant/
[17] https://proptechconnect.com/homemove-raises-1-5-million-to-build-ai-driven-moving-service/
[18] https://www.move.ai
[19] https://moovick.com
[20] https://www.myhomemove.com/a-i-activation-initiated/

Lines of colorful computer code on a dark background.
By Chris Witham December 11, 2025
Where AI really helps your Business If you spend any time on LinkedIn or X, you’ll have seen bold claims about how AI can help you build software in a matter of days. There’s a lot of excitement, a lot of big promises, and a fair bit of confusion for business owners trying to work out what’s real. A new term doing the rounds is “Vibe Coding” —the idea of describing what you want to an AI assistant and having it generate the code for you. It’s becoming popular because it can move things forward quickly and help people explore ideas they wouldn’t have been able to create alone. And the truth is, it does have its place. The challenge isn’t the technique. It’s the expectation that AI will automatically deliver finished, reliable, production-ready tools without any real design or thinking behind them. AI accelerates the work you already do well Used properly, AI can: • Remove huge amounts of repetitive work • Speed up drafting and iteration • Generate working prototypes in hours • Help non-technical people explore ideas • Improve documentation, planning and communication This is where it shines. But it still needs clarity, structure, and well-designed processes around it. It’s like having a very fast assistant rather than a fully formed development team. Why many AI projects don’t deliver what people expect Independent research this year showed a clear pattern: • Many early AI initiatives failed to produce measurable business value • Companies abandoned AI ideas because they couldn’t scale or integrate them • The gap between an impressive demo and a reliable tool is larger than people thought This doesn’t mean AI is overhyped. It means teams jumped straight to execution without the groundwork. The technology isn’t the issue. It’s the approach. Small businesses don’t need Enterprise Platforms Most UK small businesses don’t need to build a full software product. What they actually need is: • Better workflows • Faster content generation • Clearer communication • Improved customer support • Tools that reflect the way they work • Consistency and repeatability AI is perfect for this. A custom GPT trained on your tone, your documents and your processes can become: • A writing assistant • A customer support helper • A knowledge base navigator • An internal guide for staff • A quality-control layer • A process automator No engineering team needed. No complex infrastructure. No stress. Where AI builds real value right now AI works best when it’s part of a thoughtful, guided approach: • Define the outcome you want • Build a lightweight prototype (AI helps here) • Add structure, rules and guardrails • Connect it to your real workflow • Test it with real users or staff • Iterate until it feels natural You can still move fast. You just avoid building something brittle that breaks the moment it’s needed. The key insight: AI doesn’t replace expertise, it amplifies it AI is at its strongest when someone knowledgeable decides: • What it should do • What it shouldn’t do • How it should behave • What tone it should use • How it fits into the business • What checks and constraints matter That’s where tools like custom GPTs genuinely shine. They’re not software products in the traditional sense. They’re flexible assistants shaped around your business. With the right design, they can save huge amounts of time and deliver consistent, practical value without any of the complexity of building a full system. A more useful way to think about AI in 2026 Instead of “AI will build everything for you”, a healthier mindset is: AI speeds up the work, but you set the direction. For small businesses, that’s more than enough to make a real difference.
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