AI supports SATO’s business – new lead takes the helm on transformation journey
12 November 2025
Artificial intelligence is already playing an active role in SATO’s business and the daily work of its employees. Staff has been trained, and the company is moving from pilot projects to continuous operations. In October, Johanna Rahunen stepped into the role of AI Lead at SATO, jumping onto a moving train and now steering the organisation’s AI expertise to the next level.
“AI experiments have already been launched at SATO, and we’ve learned a lot about how AI can streamline business processes and make day-to-day work more meaningful,” says Johanna Rahunen, SATO’s new AI Lead. “There’s a genuine enthusiasm among SATO people to push this forward together.”
And it’s true – at SATO, artificial intelligence isn’t just part of a future vision. A determined and goal-oriented journey is already well underway. SATOhomes’ temperatures are optimised with the help of AI, generative AI tools are used daily in SATO's communications and housing marketing, and an AI-powered translation tool is currently being tested in customer service. There’s a lot more in the pipeline across the organisation – although not every innovation can be shared just yet.
Let’s turn our attention to Johanna, who joined SATO at the end of October as AI Lead. Her interest in artificial intelligence sparked years ago while working at Kela – back when AI looked very different to what it does today:
“The early stages were incredibly fascinating, both from an experimentation and structured development perspective. I learned how important it is to understand the big picture: if an organisation wants to make progress with AI, it requires systematic work and a shift in both thinking and ways of working.”
As the new AI Lead, Johanna’s goal is to take SATO’s use of artificial intelligence to the next level.
“AI is just a technology. Development should always start with business and customer needs – AI might be the solution, or it might not. I see the rest of the organisation as my customer, and my role is to coach, support, and create the framework within which people can comfortably and responsibly start using AI with a sense of positive curiosity."
Feels like coming home
Johanna has been impressed by the warm welcome she received from SATO employees and the company’s strong culture of action. Housing has been close to her heart even before joining SATO.
“A fun fact about my background is that I’m a sociologist by education and studied urban planning. I even wrote my thesis on zoning, housing solutions, and social life, so SATO’s product is already familiar to me. I’ve followed the housing market for years and probably haven’t missed a single housing barometer. For the first time, I’m at a company where my expertise, passion, and meaningful work all come together.”
Johanna’s first few weeks at SATO have confirmed her intuition that this is the right place for her.
“There’s a warm atmosphere here and a strong culture of collaboration. It’s been great to join the team and see just how much skill and potential we have. It really does feel like I’ve come home.”
Everyday life supported by AI
In her spare time, Rahunen relaxes in her favourite spot at home – the kitchen – where she loves cooking and baking, often with a little help from artificial intelligence.
“I love cooking and baking! I look for new recipes in cookbooks and magazines and often come up with my own version. ChatGPT often helps with finalising the recipe to make sure the flavours are just right,” she laughs.
This content was written by a human with the help of generative AI.