This post was created in partnership with Napster
Did anyone have a former music company partnering with a paint company as part of the AI revolution on their 2026 bingo cards?
To be fair, this isn’t exactly the Napster that was synonymous with digital music in the early 2000s. Napster was acquired by AI company Infinite Reality in March 2025, which assumed the Napster name.
The new Napster has teamed with Comex (PPG) Group, the second largest paint manufacturer and distributor in North America, to revamp the way customers buy paint with the introduction of an AI companion named “Sofia” to its websites and brick-and-mortar stores.
Sofia interacts like any human representative would, offering suggestions and feedback on creative paint ideas and color theory. She can also “look” at a photo of a space and, depending on the light and furniture, recommend ideal colors.
“This technology represents a big leap beyond traditional chatbots,” said Ati Serpoushan, svp of partnerships at Napster. “These agents remember you, adapting to your preferences, intent, and mood over time.”
Because of this personalization, Comex saw an opportunity to help customers. Gone are the days of taping swatches to a wall or painting a few strokes to get a vibe.
“Our omnichannel strategy is based on the customer experience being fluid,” said Comex’s head of omnichannel Danielle Rios. “The paint decision is kind of overwhelming because they don’t know about surface, they don’t know about materials.”
Using AI to compliment the human experience
Rios made it clear that Sofia isn’t meant to replace a customer’s interaction with Comex’s in-store human representatives. At home, a customer can use the app to zero in on paint choices, but once they go to the store, a Comex specialist with lived experience can offer that personal touch. In fact, Sofia has been trained in all the technical details of Comex’s materials and Rios wants the store employees to feel supported by Sofia.
“Our store managers can feel backed up [by Sofia],” Rios said. “She will be helping everyone 24/7 and if the managers need extra help, they can count on it.”
Marketing Sofia to a diverse customer base
Comex CMO Claudia Contreras noted the challenge of marketing new technology to Comex’s diverse customer base, which includes people of all ages as well as careers, like professional painters, DIYers, and hobbyists. She had a guiding light when developing Sofia with Napster. “We’re looking for ways to reach our consumers in a better way and it’s all about inspiring. If you cannot inspire people, they won’t want to touch paint,” Contreras said. “So, we’re switching the brand to be more sentiment-oriented, much more inspirational.”
