#Japan #Tokyo #Mirai Project #AI Curriculum #care beautician

A Focus on Alleviating Administrative Burdens in Elderly Care

In the realm of elderly care, care beauticians, who provide beauty services to seniors, often find themselves overwhelmed by a multitude of responsibilities. Apart from delivering beauty treatments, they are typically tasked with sales activities, report writing, and even social media management, which can lead to a heavy administrative workload. Moreover, the need to organize knowledge related to the health conditions and well-being of seniors amplifies these challenges. In this context, generative AI emerges as a potential tool to lighten this burden, yet its actual utilization remains limited.

A Sizable Gap in AI Experience

Recent research conducted by the Care Beauty Research Institute, under Mirai Project Co., Ltd., targeted 491 students enrolled in their specialized school. Surprisingly, around 42.6% of respondents reported having never utilized generative AI. Additionally, a significant 61.5% expressed concerns over security issues, indicating a gap between interest in AI and confidence in its safe application. Although many students recognize the benefits of AI, they hesitate to incorporate it into their routines, fearing the lack of knowledge regarding its safe use.

New AI Curriculum Launch

To address these prevalent issues, the Care Beauty Research Institute will introduce a curriculum focused on AI utilization tailored to care beauticians starting in April 2026. This program will teach students how to leverage AI to create more time for meaningful interactions with seniors and improve the overall quality of care provided.

The Multifaceted Duties of Care Beauticians

Care beauticians, who often operate as sole proprietors, carry numerous responsibilities that extend well beyond the provision of treatments. They are engaged in activities such as drafting service proposals for care facilities, preparing post-treatment reports, and disseminating promotional content to broaden their reach. Given that these beauticians must also have a grasp of health conditions specific to the elderly, the weight of administrative duties can become burdensome. Here, generative AI can play a crucial role in simplifying various tasks:

• - Organizing post-treatment reports
• - Structuring service proposals for care facilities
• - Composing social media posts
• - Conducting research related to elderly health conditions

By integrating AI as a supportive tool in their operations, care beauticians can significantly reduce the time spent on administrative tasks while enhancing the quality and coherence of their output. Ultimately, this shift enables them to dedicate more time to the core aspects of their work, elevating the quality of care provided to seniors and expanding their service offerings.

Research Insights: Interest But Resistance

The study conducted by the Care Beauty Research Institute unveiled that while 57.6% of respondents found AI to be "promising," and 43.8% deemed it potentially beneficial for their work, a strikingly large portion (42.6%) had never engaged with generative AI. Additionally, with 61.5% citing security concerns, the findings underscore a clear disconnect; although there is significant interest in AI, many are unsure of how to wield it effectively.

As AI technology continues to be integrated into various sectors, the sentiment among workers in the field appears to be one of intrigue paired with a paralytic hesitation regarding practical use.

Embracing a Gentle AI Concept

The goal of the Care Beauty Research Institute is not merely to produce AI experts but to create a supportive environment where practitioners of this trade can thrive without feeling overwhelmed. Many existing AI courses cater primarily to those in the IT or business sectors, often overlooking the hands-on needs of professionals in caregiving and beauty services.

Since its establishment in 2018, the institute has been cultivating care beauticians who are equipped with practical skills for real-world application. The new curriculum is thoughtfully designed to enable these professionals to gain confidence in using AI within their daily duties rather than focusing solely on acquiring advanced technical skills. The aim is to make AI a versatile tool accessible to all, enhancing their ability to interact meaningfully with seniors and elevate the standard of care available.

A Structured Approach to AI Utilization

The AI course will focus not on mastering complex IT skills but on empowering care beauticians to employ AI effectively in their day-to-day tasks. The curriculum will be structured into three levels of learning:

• - Basic Level: Covering AI fundamentals and essential safety protocols. Participants will gain an understanding of the core workings of AI and how to navigate issues surrounding data privacy and online literacy, ensuring safe usage in their practices.
• - Intermediate Level: Concentrating on collaborating with AI to streamline back-end operations like proposal and report writing. Here, care beauticians will learn to leverage AI to enhance efficiency in daily administrative tasks.
• - Advanced Level: Focused on augmenting market presence through effective content creation for social media. This includes strategies for efficient planning, structuring of posts, and even content for video production, equipping beauticians with valuable tools to expand their professional footprint.

Curriculum Overview

• - Program Name: AI Utilization Course (for Care Beauticians)
• - Start Date: April 2026
• - Format: In-person classes (conducted at various locations of the Care Beauty Research Institute)
• - Content: A three-tiered curriculum focused on practical applications of AI relevant to caregiving roles.
• - Tuition Fee: Starting from 9,900 yen (excluding tax)

About the Care Beauty Research Institute

• - Location: Six regions across Japan (Tokyo, Yokohama, Omiya, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka)
• - Demographics: Approximately half of the students are newcomers to the caregiving and beauty sectors.
• - Resources: Official website, Instagram, and the Care Beauty Magazine, which provides insights into real-life practices in the field.

About Mirai Project Co., Ltd.

• - Headquarters: Shibuya, Tokyo
• - Founded: November 19, 2015
• - Core Focus: Recruitment for medical and caregiving roles, education in caregiving and beauty sectors, visiting beauty services, and product sales.
• - Trademark: "Care Beautician" is a registered trademark of Mirai Project Co., Ltd.

In conclusion, as the role of generative AI expands in various industries, the Care Beauty Research Institute is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all care beauticians can access the benefits of technology while remaining deeply connected to the humans they serve.