BeautyBeauty newsThe new face of skincare brand SK-II is an AI avatarIntroducing YUMI: if Alexa and Lil Miquela had a lovechildShareLink copied ✔️June 19, 2019BeautyBeauty newsTextAlex Peters Prestige Japanese skincare brand SK-II has announced the new face of its brand but there’s a twist – she’s not real. Introducing YUMI, SK-II’s new ambassador and the latest member of the ever-growing ranks of digital influencers and avatar models. A gang that includes Shudu, who last year was enlisted alongside a cast of other CGI models for a Balmain campaign, and, of course, Lil Miquela who has fronted campaigns for UGG and Calvin Klein where she controversially made-out with Bella Hadid. What makes YUMI different, the brand says, is that she is autonomously animated and through AI technology will go on to develop her own personality and movement over time. Created by AI company Soul Machines, YUMI will be able to interact as a human would, providing beauty advice, answering questions and helping customers better understand their skin in a more personable way than the brand’s current chatbots are able to. Using Google Dialogflow as the underlying NLP engine, YUMI will speak in Japanese, English and eventually Mandarin. “YUMI is more than a digital influencer. She is a digital human capable of interacting and engaging in ways technology hasn’t been able to do until now,” says Sandeep Seth, chief executive officer, Global SK-II. “She provides the warmth and connection of human touch in the form of a digital experience to make the overall skincare experience at home and in store more enjoyable and compelling.” While there is no set date yet on when YUMI will be rolled-out, once she is costumers will be able to interact with her across smartphones, home devices and in-stores, so watch this space. Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MOREThe House of Beauty: Arabelle Sicardi exposes the dark side of the industryIn photos: Exploring t-fag culture through jockstraps and tattoosEscentric Molecules: ‘We helped make chemicals sexy’‘Cortisol face’ and the lies about muscly womenWhy this artist tattooed her past lovers’ mothers’ names on her ribcageThis cult Instagram explores how hair brings us togetherAmuse-bush? Kim Kardashian is putting pubes on SkimsRage rituals: Why so many women are turning to therapeutic screamingIs this £10,000 microplastic removal treatment really worth it?In pictures: The beauty evolution of Bella HadidMy sober glow-down: The alcohol-free side effect nobody tells you aboutBDSM masks and shaving cream beards: The best beauty from PFW SS26