London (Excel) – “Creativity is the new productivity” insists Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe, on the stage of the Adobe Emea Summit 2023. This is followed by a demonstration on Photoshop, where the integration of Firefly makes it possible to generate content (with the function generative fill) via prompts. But also a demo on Adobe Express, with instant creation of formats dedicated to social networks.
So the subtext is very clear. Yes, Adobe masters generative AI. And it is not the newcomers who for several months have been courting the pros with ChatGPT, Dall-E or MidJourney, who are going to unbolt a company which last year achieved more than 17 billion in turnover.
There remains a very strong trend that all these players want to take advantage of. A study sponsored by Adobe ensures that the demand for marketing content will be multiplied by 5 in the next 2 years.
“ChatGPT is only part of the AI story”
In this context, generative AI must therefore allow creators and marketing managers to go faster and be more efficient. “What is exciting is the possibility of globalization of content, with the automatic possibility of localizing it, translating it, adapting it to the needs of different markets,” explains Amit Ahuja, SVP Digital Experience at Adobe.
But will professionals necessarily use Adobe tools for this? “In two weeks, Adobe claims 150 million graphic creations with Firefly integrated into Photoshop” assures Amit Ahuja. His credo? Generative AI can only be used if it is integrated into the tools that the pros already master.
“Gen AI is fundamental and transformative,” he acknowledges, “but ChatGPT is only part of the story, and our customers don’t want generative AI as a separate thing.”
“Modifying an image made by AI without having built it correctly takes 5 to 10 times longer than making an image by other means”
“Integrating generative fill into Photoshop involves creating filters,” explains Lionel Lemoine, consulting director at Adobe. “The idea is really to offer business solutions that embed AI on tools used by professionals”.
And to give it a huge advantage. “What matters is the non-destructive side. When we are in Photoshop, we choose an area, we create an image via a prompt. But once the AI has inserted the object, it remains a layer, which can be modified. This leaves the designer the possibility of modifying everything afterwards, by iteration.”
And drive the point home. “Modifying an image made by AI without having properly built it takes 5 to 10 times longer than making an image by other means,” he says.
“It is the power of ideas that changes the future of companies”
Adobe’s other main concern is trust in AI. Because the main reluctance of professionals via AI, notwithstanding the bait for productivity gains, remains the immense legal risk, relayed every day by the press (including ZDNET).
“We are particularly attentive to the fact that the tools are trustworthy” engages Amit Ahuja. And to indicate that the monetization of works created by Adobe’s AI will pass credit management. And therefore traceability. Concretely, the visuals used by the AI are those of the Adobe Stock image bank. And Adobe Stock contributors will be compensated accordingly. Something to reassure Adobe users who want to avoid legal risks while enjoying the benefits of artificial intelligence.
Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe, on stage at the Adobe Emea Summit 2023, defines Adobe’s approach to generative AI. On the interface side, AI must transform business processes. On the model side, AI must be deployed through qualitative and commercially viable models. Finally, on the data side, generative AI must use identifiable and traceable data for business use.
But by dint of making an AI work, won’t the search for productivity simply kill creativity? Especially if creativity is now restricted only to the “imagination” of machines.
“It’s the power of ideas that changes the future of companies” tempers Arthur Sadoun, the boss of the Publicis agency, a distinguished guest at the event. “You need an idea first and then the tools to realize them”.
“There is indeed a risk that the results for a similar prompt will quickly look the same,” echoes Lionel Lemoine about the uses of generative AI by creators. “Paradoxically, the more consistent results we have, the more important creative people will be. This is why we say that generative AI can become a co-pilot for businesses”. The professional should therefore always be in control. In any case, Adobe constantly makes sure to use the right words to reassure. Its use of AI is “ethical”. Its use of AI is “responsible”. Surprisingly missing the third thief: no one knows to date if the results of his AI are explainable.