In the wake of the explosive wave of artificial intelligence (AI), Adobe quickly launched Firefly, a tool that allows editing videos by entering text. According to Business Insider, Adobe employees fear AI has the potential to undermine the company’s business model and lose its main customer group, graphic designers.
AI models Although Adobe claims the Firefly is trained on Adobe Stock image data, some artists have accused Adobe of using their work without express consent or proper compensation. , according to VentureBeat. Not only that, but AI technology has grown to such an extent that it can put designers out of business. According to estimates by Goldman Sachs, AI can eliminate 300 million jobs worldwide, a quarter of which are in the arts and design industries.
employees On the internal Slack app, Adobe repeatedly expressed frustration with the company’s AI revolution. Some people feel that they are “slaves” of AI algorithms, as their work is mainly related to AI-generated work. Besides, there are still people who see it positively, believing that Photoshop helps designers work more efficiently. A senior designer at Adobe revealed that an advertising business he knows plans to cut back on its graphic design team because AI features in Photoshop will save the company money
Jefferies analyst Brent Thill said the question he gets from investors is whether AI will reduce Adobe’s “vacancy count,” which is a closely watched measure of its customer base. company. Adobe typically sells subscriptions to cloud software based on the number of “seats” or licenses that give customers access to the technology. For example, a company with 5 in-house graphic designers would buy 5 licenses. So if designers are laid off, the need for licenses could drop, hurting Adobe’s revenue or slowing sales growth.
In response to Thill’s question, Adobe’s President of Digital Media David Wadhwani said that the company has a history of introducing new technology that leads to higher productivity and employment. However, some employees believe that there is a fundamental difference between generative AI and previous breakthroughs. For example, cameras still require skill and expertise to produce good photos, whereas AI image creation requires almost no skill. This raises concerns about a loss of craftsmanship and expertise that can only be achieved through constant practice and individual creativity.
Currently, Adobe is encouraging employees to try out AI chatbots, but the company still has specific safeguards in place when using them in the workplace