Ai Maeda is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Aoni Production. She was born on April 19, 1975, in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. Before her voice acting debut, she spent about a year working as a suit actor, portraying Sailor Chibi Moon in live Sailor Moon shows. She decided to pursue a career in voice acting during high school, inspired by anime such as Mobile Police Patlabor and Mashin Eiyuden Wataru 2, as it combined her interests in both acting and singing. After passing an audition in her third year of high school, she enrolled in Aoni Juku Osaka, graduating as part of the 11th class.

Maeda's voice acting debut came in 1996 with a minor role in the fourth series of GeGeGe no Kitaro. Her first major recognition came with the role of Emiru Nagakura in the game and anime Sentimental Graffiti in 1998. The following year, she gained widespread popularity for her role as Mimi Tachikawa in the highly successful anime Digimon Adventure. This role marked the beginning of her long association with the franchise, for which she also performed numerous theme songs under her singer stage name, AiM. Her performance of the first ending theme, I wish, was particularly well-received. She continued to voice Mimi in subsequent series and films, and her musical contributions to Digimon, including collaborations with the late singer Koji Wada, have made her an iconic figure in the franchise.

Alongside her success in Digimon, Maeda built a diverse career with many notable roles. She voiced Megumi Oumi in Zatch Bell!, Poala in Beet the Vandel Buster, and Marin in Baby Felix. She has also been a prominent part of the long-running Precure franchise, voicing Karen Minazuki, also known as Cure Aqua, in the Yes! Precure 5 series and its related films and crossover specials. This role was particularly significant for her as she had long been a fan of the series. In video games, she is known for voicing Shion Uzuki in the Xenosaga series, Oichi in the Samurai Warriors series, and Chihiro Fushimi in Persona 3. Her work also extends to foreign work dubbing, including the anime sequence for O-Ren Ishii in Quentin Tarantino's film Kill Bill Vol. 1 and the voice of Cortana in Halo Legends.

In more recent years, Maeda has taken on the role of Setsuna Meioh, also known as Sailor Pluto, in the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal series and its subsequent film sequels, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal and Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos. This marked her return to playing a magical girl character years after her role as Cure Aqua. She has also continued her involvement in the Digimon franchise, performing new ending theme songs for the Digimon Adventure tri. films and the 2020 film Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna.

As a singer, Maeda is known by the stage name AiM, and she uses the name "ai" for songwriting and composition. Her discography includes numerous singles and albums, primarily consisting of anime theme songs and character songs, with a particularly strong and lasting connection to the Digimon series. In 2013, she announced her marriage to fellow voice actor Ryotaro Okiayu, who is also affiliated with Aoni Production. She is known to enjoy playing video games, especially the Monster Hunter series, and has participated in a group of voice actors who share this interest.