AI image puts Helsinki Cathedral in the wrong place in property listing

A real estate agency used an AI-altered image in a Helsinki apartment listing, placing the city’s cathedral in the wrong part of the city, Yle reported. The agency removed the image after Yle contacted it.

The listing for an apartment in Merihaka showed a view from its balcony towards Katajanokka. Helsinki Cathedral appeared near the centre of the image, although it is located at Senate Square, not Katajanokka. The listing did not disclose that the image had been altered using AI.

Kotimeklarit chief executive Nina Asteljoki told Yle that the agent had taken the original photograph and asked AI to straighten and brighten it. The AI made additional changes, including adding buildings, which the agent did not notice, she said.

“It was an accident, and it was not intentional,” Asteljoki said. “We did not intend to alter Helsinki’s cityscape.”

AI use in property listings has drawn wider attention in recent months. In October, the Finnish Real Estate Federation updated its guidance, saying that original, unedited photographs should also be shown alongside AI-generated images.