1. What's Happening: The Current State of the "AI Top" Phenomenon from Japan

• Rakuten: Introducing AI Chairman at Public "Earnings Briefing"
  In May 2025, Rakuten introduced "Mikitani AI" to present its quarterly earnings using AI-generated video and audio. It was stated that the script had been pre-approved by the individual, and it is permissible to quote it as the individual's statement. This has sparked discussions in the media about new editorial rules on how to handle AI statements.ITmedia+1
  
  

• Docomo: Introducing AI President in Internal "Career Consultations"
  Docomo's "Avatar President Maeda" was introduced primarily for employee career consultations. Utilizing NTT's cross-lingual speech synthesis and a realistic avatar, it creates a UI that feels like conversing with the person, designed to encourage those who recognize the need for career autonomy but struggle to take action, as revealed in internal surveys. This initiative originated from the sales department (Customer Success Division) and was developed in collaboration with HR. There are plans to expand its use within the group.Docomo

2. Anticipating Conclusions: Will an "AI President Briefing" Happen at Docomo?

Conclusion: Currently, "no primary information indicating official plans or implementation can be confirmed."
Docomo's public information emphasizes its role as an internal career dialogue tool, with no mention of its use in external briefings (at least in publicly released corporate articles and introductions, the focus is on internal use). Meanwhile, Rakuten has already implemented AI avatar appearances in external announcements (earnings). The difference in where each company places AI is currently clear.Docomo+1

3. Differences in Purpose and Operation: Rakuten "Public Arena" vs. Docomo "Internal Dialogue"

3.1 Core Purpose

• Rakuten: **"Efficiency in External Communication"** aimed at investors and media. The AI avatar seeks to enhance the stability of readings and ease of multilingual expansion. However, usability issues such as "monotone and hard to listen to" have also been pointed out.Impress Watch

• Docomo: **"Talent Development Infrastructure"** to promote employee career autonomy. AI dialogue replaces barriers such as difficulty consulting with superiors or lack of time with low-friction alternatives.AI dialogue for low-friction alternatives.Docomo

3.2 Operational Rules and Citation Methods

• Rakuten: It is explicitly stated that avatar statements based on pre-approved scripts can be quoted as the individual's statements (also confirmed during Q&A at the briefing). The media faced the challenge of designing new rules for handling **"AI statements."**Impress Watch

• Docomo: As an internal tool, it is not intended for external citation of statements. The avatar functions as a counterpart in career consultations and role-playing.Docomo

4. Key Technology: How is "Authenticity" Achieved?

• Docomo

  • Realistic Avatar × NTT's "Cross-lingual Speech Synthesis" (multilingual speech synthesis) designs a conversation experience akin to speaking with the person. A dialogue flow is prepared where "strengths/requirements/desires" are naturally verbalized through the process of answering questions.Docomo

• Rakuten

  • Conducting briefings with AI-generated video and audio. While showing a certain level of reproducibility in reading financial slides, optimization of intonation and rhythm is identified as a challenge.ITmedia+1

5. Background and Internal Deployment of "Avatar President Maeda"

• Unique Origin: Born from research on "AI for customer role-play" by the sales department (Customer Success Division), it shifted focus to career consultation specialization in collaboration with HR. It is now being utilized not only at the headquarters but also at various branches, with plans for group-wide deployment.Docomo

• Compatibility with Organizational Transformation: Under the leadership of Yoshiteru Maeda, who became president in 2024, messages emphasizing customer experience and data utilization have been issued, aligning with the internal implementation of AI tools.Docomo

6. The Ecosystem Supporting Rakuten's "AI Chairman"

• Company-wide AI Hub: "Rakuten AI" is expanding its provision across mobile apps and the web, based on cross-company group search. **At the venue demo, AI avatar customer service and the SIM vending machine "Saikyo-kun"** were also showcased, emphasizing the implementation of AI in field operations.Business Insider Japan+1

• Real-world Challenges: Media evaluations suggest room for improvement in the "listening ease" and "intonation" of avatar readings. **The issue of "whose statement to quote"** is also a topic of discussion.Impress Watch

7. Practical Discussion Points

(1) Display and Disclosure

• When used in public, it is desirable to have a **"This is an AI avatar" display** and to specify the script and supervisors (individual/legal/IR). Rakuten's case is an example of the operation "pre-approved script = individual's statement."Impress Watch

(2) Attribution and Responsibility

• Unifying who the statement is officially recorded as (individual/AI/"AI (individual supervised)") both internally and externally. A style guide is needed for media response.Impress Watch