A forward-looking working group, led by the CeDRe and the DREAL Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, examined the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in France Rénov' Advisory Spaces (ECFR) between March 2025 and April 2026. Nine volunteer ECFR members experimented with an AI tool in their professional practice before collectively reflecting on its benefits, limitations, and the conditions for its integration into the public service for housing renovation.
Given the rapid spread of AI across all sectors, including housing renovation, concrete questions arise for public service actors. How can AI assist advisors in their daily tasks, freeing up time for human support? How can administrative tasks be simplified while ensuring the neutrality and quality of advice? What precautions should be taken regarding data protection, information reliability, and energy sobriety?
This initiative, launched in December 2024 following a meeting between the CeDRe, ECFRs, and territorial stakeholders, aimed to move beyond mixed reactions (enthusiasm, skepticism, concern) sparked by the presentation of an AI tool. The goal was to conduct a collective reflection based on actual usage, rather than following a trend.
The experimentation involved three phases: field testing from May to November 2025 by nine ECFRs using the AI tool from the company kelvin°, with individual support; three half-day remote exchange sessions and one in-person working day in Lyon on November 4, 2025, including AI training; and cross-disciplinary interviews with representatives from state services and tool designers, including public tools like 'Mon devis sans oubli'.
The nine participating ECFRs are: AGEDEN (Isère), SPL ALEC de l’Ain, ALEC de la Métropole de Lyon, ECFR de la Haute-Loire, InnoVales (Haute-Savoie), Rénov’actions 63, Rénov’actions 42, Valence Romans Agglo, and Vichy Communauté.
Key findings emphasize that the human element remains central to the service. AI, referred to as 'intelligent assistants,' can free up advisors' time by automating repetitive data entry and regulatory research, allowing them to focus on human support and complex situations. However, it cannot replace the trust-based relationship fundamental to public service.
AI has real potential to facilitate household guidance, prepare interviews and visits, assist with file compilation, or support regulatory monitoring. Nevertheless, its deployment must be discerning, with usage frameworks and gradual implementation involving teams. ECFR feedback is mixed: some will continue using the tool for specific stages, while others prefer to focus on technical training for their advisors, awaiting reliable public tools.
Points of vigilance include data protection and reliability, GDPR compliance, the selection of energy-efficient tools to avoid conflicting with energy-saving advice, and maintaining advisor skills to prevent over-reliance on AI.
The integration of AI is a collective effort involving the entire ecosystem: local authorities, ECFRs, state services, and the Anah. Participants call for shared governance, consideration of tool financing within territorial pacts, and support at national and regional levels for public tool development.
The advisors' recommendations include: assessing the team's current usage, expectations, and reservations; identifying, budgeting, and prioritizing tools suited to each role, first checking for existing public solutions; proceeding gradually, allowing individuals to adopt tools at their own pace, and organizing regular feedback sessions; and establishing a collective internal usage charter. The portal for AI charters in administration can serve as inspiration.
The working group's findings were presented in a webinar on May 7, 2026, attended by 168 participants. The participants hope this momentum will continue regionally to share best practices and assess the long-term effects of AI on the France Rénov' ecosystem.
