E.l.f. beauty integrates AI to enhance community engagement and internal efficiency

E.l.f. Beauty has developed an AI tool named E.l.f.luencer to automate responses to customer comments on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The tool, trained on the company’s stylebook and historical social media interactions, generates replies in the brand’s tone, using emojis and language consistent with E.l.f.’s identity. Ekta Chopra, the company’s chief technology and AI officer, noted that the AI tool has increased the response rate from 30%-40% to over 80%, with 90% of comments now generated by AI. Chopra emphasizes that AI is used to enhance productivity, with all outputs reviewed by human employees. Chopra has also spearheaded the creation of an internal AI platform that provides secure access to approved APIs and connectors, enabling non-technical employees to build and deploy their own AI tools. Among the tools developed are an internal chatbot called B.F.e.l.f., used by over 80% of employees, and an IT help desk assistant named e.l.f.line. Additionally, the company is piloting 85 agentic AI use cases and has formed a cross-functional AI steering committee to oversee implementation and mitigate risks.