Adobe adds generative AI to Photoshop

Adobe announced on 23 May 2023 that it would add new generative AI technology to its popular Photoshop editing software, making it easier for untrained users to use the application. While impressive, the move has sparked fears of mass layoffs and dangerous fakes. Commentators worry that artificial intelligence will eliminate the need for expert designers by providing a ChatGPT-style interface of natural language instructions.

Adobe’s AI product, dubbed “Firefly,” entered beta at the start of April. The company believes the new service will act as a “co-pilot” on Photoshop, helping to improve graphic design instead of replacing the need for human workers entirely. Productivity enhancements could help workers get more done.

However, the scale of the user interface improvements is dramatic. Adobe’s Vice President of Digital Imaging, Maria Yap, showed NBC News how she could use simple text prompts to edit images, bringing them to her desired specifications. Yap began with a picture of a dog running and got the software to provide a different background by typing in the prompt “Spring trees with sunshine.” The simple four-work instruction was all she needed to do to alter the image fundamentally.

Adobe says the new AI-powered Photoshop will also feature “generative fill” technology. These systems will add, subtract, expand, and remove image elements, according to user instructions, such as “purple caterpillar on my shoulder” or “yellow t-shirt instead of a dress.” Generative fill will be available from 23 May and released in full in late 2023.

According to Adobe’s president of digital media, pairing AI with Photoshop will have a transformative impact on the number of people who feel confident to create using the tool and monetise their creations. Beautiful artwork, video B-rolls, and website backgrounds could become the norm.

AI is not a new venture for Adobe. The software developer has been using it for over a decade to help users create more sophisticated and convincing edits. However, Firefly’s introduction represents a sea-change in its software’s capabilities. Previously, people had to undergo extensive training to produce professional results. That is now coming to an end.

Artists and designers raised concerns that Adobe might be training generative AI tools on artwork under copyright. However, the software giant says this is false. It only trains its systems on works in the public domain – currently over 100 million images – or on stock photos with expired copyrights.

Adobe believes the introduction of Firefly will make it easier for small businesses to perform graphic design by themselves. Chandra Sinnathamby, Abode’s Asia-Pacific director of digital media and strategy, said the idea was to accelerate the creative and collaborative process. AI fakes, he said, remain a concern, but Adobe is setting a standard, with content credentials acting as a marker on the number of images created.

The new tool goes alongside the best chat software for website owners. Businesses can now use simple instructions in Photoshop for designing beautiful images and customisations for chat backgrounds.