It has been two years since OpenAI launched ChatGPT, and in that time, significant developments have taken place, including debates over artificial intelligence (AI), copyright lawsuits, and assorted dramas.
A key shift has been the evolving perception of AI tools. In 2023, concerns were high over potential copyright infringements and the impact of AI-generated content. By 2024, however, strategic partnerships between major organizations and AI leaders like OpenAI signaled a more integrated approach.
One notable example came in April 2024, when the Financial Times (FT) announced a strategic partnership and licensing agreement with OpenAI. This collaboration aimed to enhance ChatGPT's capabilities by incorporating attributed content from FT journalism. The partnership allows ChatGPT to deliver attributed summaries, direct quotes, and rich links to FT articles, enriching responses with high-quality, reliable information and improving the model's relevance.
Moreover, the Financial Times adopted ChatGPT Enterprise, a version of OpenAI's tool designed for organizational use, first launched in August 2023. By providing all FT employees with access to this platform, the publication aimed to ensure its teams were proficient in leveraging AI technology.
In October 2024, Hearst announced a content partnership with OpenAI, integrating its vast newspaper and magazine content into OpenAI's ecosystem. This move expanded the breadth and depth of available content for OpenAI's products, enhancing their utility. Publications such as the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Runner's World, Women's Health, and others were included in this partnership, spanning over 20 magazine brands and 40+ newspapers.
The broader potential of ChatGPT has therefore become more evident and more companies are now trying to maximize its capabilities, as demonstrated by the latest high-profile collaboration.
Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), a global leader in prestige beauty with a portfolio of over 20 iconic brands - including Clinique, La Mer, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, and Aveda - recently adopted ChatGPT Enterprise. This move was designed to empower employees and enhance customer engagement. ChatGPT Enterprise offers advanced customer support, assisting with technical and service inquiries, while providing higher speed, more powerful processing, and customization options that align with a company's specific needs and branding.
Beyond these features, ChatGPT Enterprise offers robust security, privacy protections, and scalability, its ability to handle large number of users and higher volumes of data making it adaptable for organizations of all sizes. Besides, its suite of admin tools and analytics equips businesses with greater oversight and actionable insights, paving the way for improved operational efficiency and innovation.
These features ultimately must have convinced ELC to adopt ChatGPT Enterprise. Jane Lauder, Chief Data Officer & EVP of Enterprise Marketing and a member of ELC's Board of Directors, highlighted in a press release the company's need for a version of ChatGPT that safeguarded their "most valuable asset" - over 75 years of consumer data gathered from surveys, clinical trials, and product usage.
Developing ELC's custom Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPTs) was an in-depth process. When ChatGPT was launched at the end of 2022, while other companies were exploring initial AI integration for workforce reductions, ELC approached its employees directly, inviting them to share how they envisioned using AI tools. This initiative garnered over a thousand submissions, showcasing internal enthusiasm. This led to the creation of ELC’s GPT Lab - a collaborative, cross-functional unit tasked with developing tailored GPTs in partnership with OpenAI.
Within the GPT Lab, teams composed of business users, subject matter experts (SMEs), and technical leads worked methodically to design and build specific GPTs. They rigorously defined each project's purpose, scope, and target audience, asking critical questions about the need and potential value of each model. Data collection and preparation were followed by comprehensive testing to ensure accuracy and reliability before deployment.
Currently ChatGPT has become an essential part of ELC's operations, with over 240 custom GPTs integrated into workflows.
Among their notable achievements was the development of the Fragrance Insights GPT. This tool empowered the Fragrance Foresight team to extract insights from vast consumer survey datasets, identifying trends and preferences that informed product development aligned with diverse demographics.
Another significant innovation was the Clinical Trial Data GPT. This model streamlined the extraction of key insights related to skincare product efficacy. For example, it can answer specific questions (such as "what are the immediate moisturization improvement percentages after using the Advanced Night Repair Serum?") based on thousands of clinical trial reports, all accessible through a simple query.
There is also a Copywriting GPT, a tool tailored to craft detailed, brand-aligned content across various platforms, enhancing the quality and consistency of ELC's communication. Another innovation, the Vendor Snapshot Creator GPT, synthesizes comprehensive profiles of vendors, detailing purchase histories and key insights to support informed business decisions.
The benefits of these advancements are notable. Tasks that previously required hours of research, such as verifying product efficacy claims, can now be completed in minutes, saving time and resources. This efficiency contributes to faster product launches, enabling ELC to respond more swiftly to evolving consumer trends. The widespread adoption of these AI solutions within the company reflects a positive shift, with more teams seeking to integrate GPT capabilities that can drive operational efficiency and help maintaining the company's competitive edge in a dynamic industry.
Rather than viewing AI as a disruptive force that threatens job security, ELC has redefined its relationship with technology, positioning ChatGPT as a collaborative tool that enhances human productivity. This approach has transformed ELC into an AI-empowered organization.
In contrast, many fashion houses still seem focused on using AI for more niche applications such as ad campaigns and design concepts. This limited view misses broader opportunities. ChatGPT Enterprise could indeed revolutionize processes for fashion brands by enhancing customer experience through personalized virtual assistants, optimizing e-commerce strategies, generating content for marketing and social media, analyzing data, and streamlining design research with insights from archives and brand history.
Actually, there have been experiments between fashion houses and GPTs: last year, as you may remember, Ganni turned to Danish digital artist Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm to create a purpose-built GPT that was then used during a runway show to engage members of the audience. While this was an intriguing use of AI in fashion, the most impactful application of this technology lies in streamlining research and operations, like in the case of Estée Lauder and OpenAI collaboration.
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