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Welcome to Beauty Run by Robots, a Vogue Business mini-series exploring the role and effects artificial intelligence (AI) will have on the beauty industry.
Job risks, role changes and sector shifts. These are all immediate hurdles set to shake up beauty’s existing infrastructure as artificial intelligence becomes a team member. From marketing to talent artistry, we tap beauty executives for their take on how AI will disrupt careers, ways of working and how to brace for the changes on the horizon.
Marketing
Renee Ogaki, founder and CEO of Ogaki marketing agency
The reality is that AI has been around for years and has been reshaping the marketing industry ever since social media algorithms heavily utilised machine learning to personalise content. Now, we’re faced with more innovations and just like the marketing industry had to pivot when TikTok and Instagram came on the scene, we’ll need to do so again as AI and other technologies are further developed.
In my mind, the future of marketing is one where AI tools become embedded within marketing operations rather than the need to replace human marketers. However, we need to understand how to use AI tools as they will become a foundational part of every marketer’s job. At Ogaki, we use AI for copy drafts, video and image editing, audio recommendations, and admin tasks like scheduling and call recaps. Tools like Dash Social, Gamma Photoshop and ChatGPT streamline execution, but strategy, creativity and brand ideation remain driven by humans. AI enhances campaign development, refining ideas faster, but the tool won’t replace a marketer’s ability to think conceptually.
Entry-level jobs face risks as AI automates admin tasks, but this shift should create higher paid senior roles focused on strategic and creative leadership. Graduates and newcomers must future-proof their skills, staying ahead of algorithms and deeply understanding the mechanics of AI. Gen Z and Gen Alpha, raised on technology, should bring fresh AI-driven ideas to the table, while entry-level marketers should immerse themselves in strategy meetings to learn the craft.
Speculation around AI is growing, with brands questioning its role in campaigns and employees concerned about its impact. Transparency is key: agencies must clearly communicate AI’s use in strategies, while leaders should work with legal teams to define guidelines. Offering training and fostering AI literacy will help employees navigate these changes with confidence.
Research and innovation
Matthieu Cassier, chief digital and transformation for L’Oréal research and innovation
Picture this: 4,000 researchers using AI algorithms to analyse the massive data sets of research studies and consumer reviews, identifying new molecules and sustainable ingredients, and predicting winning formulations that are safe, sustainable and high-performing — all while meeting individual, unmet industry aspirations. That’s L’Oréal’s reality and a step change for research and innovation.
AI has been a catalyst for research and innovation advancements. While we prioritise people, AI has amplified the potential of researchers and formulators, enabling their very best work through the entire value chain. That will be the direction moving forward. With AI, our formulators have discovered innovation territories, developed atypical formulations, predicted formula performance (stability, sensoriality, colour etc), and identified new compositions and sustainable raw materials to achieve target performance. Granted, the science-tech era is an evolution, and as AI augments our skills and insights, creating value and driving exponential growth, the move will require even more human skills — critical thinking, emotional intelligence, complex problem-solving, creativity and interpersonal communication.
From an innovation perspective, little is at stake. AI presents an opportunity to create new career pathways and enhance existing roles, allowing employees to focus on what matters most.
Public relations
Anna Kellum, SVP of beauty and well-being at PURPLE
Fundamentally, PR is about trusted human relationships and the creativity to connect the dots in exciting new ways to bring an impactful strategy to life. That will never change. Traditional PR skills such as relationship-building and critical thinking will remain essential. Take last year’s viral Brat moment — AI couldn’t have predicted it, nor could it have determined how we leveraged the trend to a brand’s best strategic advantage.
However, ignoring AI’s capabilities would be short-sighted. Under an AI influence, PR will become more data-driven and personalised, shifting the focus from execution to strategy and innovation. PR agencies should embrace AI for media monitoring, influencer identification, trend analysis, content optimisation and reporting. AI will also be an incredible tool for filtering macro data into insights, enhancing and pushing the boundaries of human creativity and efficiency. As for the role shift? AI will likely create opportunities for new PR roles centred around creativity, strategy and AI management.
There are risks: predictive campaign analytics and misinformation challenges are two examples. However, as anyone who has used an AI chatbot knows, it is essential to rationalise and filter anything it generates through a human lens. Insight is powerful, but only when combined with experience and human intuition. We need to educate ourselves on AI’s capabilities, limitations and risks before wholly adopting it.
Buying and merchandising
Lydia Kandel, VP of marketing and digital at Credo Beauty
Leverage AI for efficiency and a competitive edge, but don’t let it dictate your retail strategy, trend awareness, or ethical decision-making — these remain central to curation. While AI can enhance operations, discovering and securing the right brands still requires a sharp human touch. Trade shows are becoming less relevant, making real-time access to emerging global beauty brands more valuable than ever. In an industry where being first is critical, AI can help pinpoint consumer demand in areas like clean beauty and sustainable packaging while streamlining forecasting and inventory planning, freeing buyers to focus on negotiation and strategic decisions.
AI’s potential in product development is game-changing, accelerating speed to market by analysing research and development data and clinical studies to refine formulations and suggest ingredient combinations that align with skin concerns. As AI reshapes buying and merchandising roles, it will likely give rise to ‘super merchants’ — experts who blend trend scouting with automation for smarter demand planning and forecasting.
For example, at Credo, we integrate AI-driven tools like Nosto, which optimises product ranking and site search based on user behaviour and has boosted conversion rates threefold. With over 4,000 products and a lean team, this allows us to prioritise strategic storytelling and creative merchandising. AI’s true value lies in enhancing retail authority — seamlessly merging editorial, marketing and commerce to create an engaging, high-performing shopping experience.
Media
Jessica Diner, global beauty and wellness director of Vogue
Editors and journalists already have to navigate an AI-involved world, but I strongly believe that human thought, emotion, subjectivity and personal storytelling will remain at the forefront of the media industry. We can’t lose sight of the importance of that, it remains essential for authenticity, tone of voice and having a purpose.
We also must be mindful of the potential oversaturation and homogenisation of content. If we’re all using the same tools, there’s a risk of copycat content and it’s why personal perspectives and professional viewpoints will determine content’s authority. However, AI offers extensive insights. We can see what trends and viral beauty moments readers are interested in, alongside dedicated audience development teams who inform decisions ensuring content resonates. Could AI become an important tool to help us analyse data as it comes in? Could we rely on it to suggest new search trends or content avenues to pick up on, or even suggest newsletter and feature headlines? It’s not something we are doing currently, but it’s an area that has potential.
Rather than worrying about being replaced by robots, the industry must prepare for its impact. Use AI as a resource; it’s great for receiving a word-perfect transcription after conducting an interview, summarising key points to build a feature or grouping source materials for ease of writing. Globally, we rely on AI to translate text from other markets for speed, which is then edited by hand afterwards — without the tool, speed and efficiency would be a constant hurdle, especially for the pace at which digital features constantly need to feed SEO.
The industry will undoubtedly be different if driven by AI, but my advice for journalists (established and upcoming), would be not to rely on AI to create content for you. Passive writing will never allow careers to thrive, and editors can tell immediately when the copy is AI generated.
Talent
Kent Belden, founder and CEO of The Only Agency
First and foremost, AI can’t replicate the nuanced skill, intuition and human touch of a makeup artist, nail artist, hair stylist or photographer. However, rather than resisting AI, industry professionals must consider how it can complement and enhance their craft.
AI presents both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, it offers innovative tools for creative direction, inspiration and digital visualisation. Makeup artists can experiment with AI-generated concepts, pre-visualise looks and refine ideas before executing them on a client. Photographers can leverage AI for post-production enhancements, retouching and even concept development. These capabilities open creative avenues, allowing professionals to push artistic boundaries further than ever before.
Yet, there is an undeniable challenge between automation and human craftsmanship. Can AI-generated looks diminish the perceived value of an artist’s work? Will clients rely more on AI tools rather than hiring skilled professionals? These concerns are valid, but they underscore the need for artists to differentiate themselves in ways that AI cannot — through personal connection, tactile skill and the ability to adapt in real-time to the nuances of a live subject.
For artists, embracing AI means leveraging its capabilities without losing sight of their own expertise. But it will never replace the hands-on artistry that defines the industry. The key is to remain open-minded — willing to learn, adapt and integrate new technologies while staying true to the fundamental skills that make an artist invaluable.
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.
