CANMAKE Debuts First AI Employee, Drawing Polarized Social Media Reaction

As generative AI and digital employee technologies mature, companies are accelerating the transformation of their marketing models. IDA Laboratories, the parent company of popular Japanese affordable cosmetics brand CANMAKE, is deploying artificial intelligence in frontline product promotion and social media engagement. It aims to pioneer a new model of collaboration between beauty retailers and virtual employees. By breaking with the traditional reliance on human brand ambassadors, the initiative has become a closely watched case in digital transformation and technology-driven marketing.

IDA Laboratories formally launched its “CANMAKE AI Employee” project on July 1, 2026, introducing its first virtual representative modeled on a real employee. The AI employee debuted simultaneously on four major social media platforms, including Instagram and X, where it offers makeup suggestions and shares behind-the-scenes stories. The move sparked intense online debate, however, with some users questioning whether a virtual figure could accurately convey how makeup looks and feels on real skin or how its colors appear.