Canon Marketing Japan MIRAI Fund Invests in Pictoria, Developer of AITubers and Corporate AI Character Solutions
Canon Marketing Japan has invested in Pictoria Inc., a pioneer in AITuber technology, via its CVC fund. The investment aims to accelerate the social implementation of AI characters and drive innovation in the IP business through advanced generative AI solutions.
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- 📰 Published: April 28, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 28, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 15:14 (4h 42m after Collected)
Canon Marketing Japan Inc. (President: Masachika Adachi; hereinafter Canon MJ) has invested in Pictoria Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Hayato Akedo; hereinafter Pictoria) through its corporate venture capital (CVC) fund, 'Canon Marketing Japan MIRAI Fund.' Pictoria's strength lies in its operation technology for AITubers, which are virtual characters that use generative AI to autonomously respond to comments and perform character actions. The company is involved in both the production business and the development of AI character solutions for corporations.
*AITuber: Virtual characters that use generative AI to autonomously interact with viewers and behave like YouTubers to stream and share information.
In recent years, as generative AI becomes more practical, the role of characters has expanded from 'objects to watch' to 'entities to converse with.' The fact that AI generates character speech and reactions in real-time allows for deeper experiences through interaction, which is gaining attention as a new form of value. In the future, AI characters are expected to be used not only for streaming but also in a wide range of business applications, such as customer service and guidance.
Pictoria, with its mission to 'Create a Future Worth Rooting For,' has continuously operated AITubers that generate conversations and responses using AI. It is a startup that operates two main pillars: a production business that handles character personality design, speech management, and quality improvement, and a corporate solution business that applies this knowledge to businesses and facilities.
In the production business, the company has accumulated operational know-how to enhance interaction quality and worldview construction through AITuber operations. Recently, it has also expanded its efforts to transform existing IPs into conversational characters, enabling users to interact with their favorite characters at various touchpoints.
Based on this expertise, the corporate solution business provides AI character solutions for customer service, guidance, and information sharing to companies and facilities. These solutions are already being used across various customer touchpoints such as digital signage, the web, and social media. Pictoria aims to achieve both the entertainment value cultivated in the B2C sector and the stability and reliability required in the B2B sector, promoting the social implementation of AI characters in actual business tasks.
Canon MJ Group promotes open innovation by exploring cutting-edge technologies and business ideas to solve social issues with a future-oriented perspective. The 'Canon Marketing Japan MIRAI Fund' identifies 'Life Purpose' and 'Business Revitalization' as key investment areas. Evaluating Pictoria's potential to create next-generation experiences in the entertainment domain with generative AI, Canon MJ decided on this investment. Through this partnership, Canon MJ Group will promote the co-creation of comprehensive creative services using AI and work on creating innovations in the IP business.
*AITuber: Virtual characters that use generative AI to autonomously interact with viewers and behave like YouTubers to stream and share information.
In recent years, as generative AI becomes more practical, the role of characters has expanded from 'objects to watch' to 'entities to converse with.' The fact that AI generates character speech and reactions in real-time allows for deeper experiences through interaction, which is gaining attention as a new form of value. In the future, AI characters are expected to be used not only for streaming but also in a wide range of business applications, such as customer service and guidance.
Pictoria, with its mission to 'Create a Future Worth Rooting For,' has continuously operated AITubers that generate conversations and responses using AI. It is a startup that operates two main pillars: a production business that handles character personality design, speech management, and quality improvement, and a corporate solution business that applies this knowledge to businesses and facilities.
In the production business, the company has accumulated operational know-how to enhance interaction quality and worldview construction through AITuber operations. Recently, it has also expanded its efforts to transform existing IPs into conversational characters, enabling users to interact with their favorite characters at various touchpoints.
Based on this expertise, the corporate solution business provides AI character solutions for customer service, guidance, and information sharing to companies and facilities. These solutions are already being used across various customer touchpoints such as digital signage, the web, and social media. Pictoria aims to achieve both the entertainment value cultivated in the B2C sector and the stability and reliability required in the B2B sector, promoting the social implementation of AI characters in actual business tasks.
Canon MJ Group promotes open innovation by exploring cutting-edge technologies and business ideas to solve social issues with a future-oriented perspective. The 'Canon Marketing Japan MIRAI Fund' identifies 'Life Purpose' and 'Business Revitalization' as key investment areas. Evaluating Pictoria's potential to create next-generation experiences in the entertainment domain with generative AI, Canon MJ decided on this investment. Through this partnership, Canon MJ Group will promote the co-creation of comprehensive creative services using AI and work on creating innovations in the IP business.