Adobe’s Thoughtful Approach to Building ‘Safe’ AI Tools for Creatives
AI image and video generators have flooded the internet with countless memes and creative content, from playful baby versions of TV personalities to viral pop culture moments. But as these AI tools grow in popularity, they raise tough questions about copyright. Many artists and media companies are suing AI developers, claiming their systems use unauthorized images and videos for training.
Adobe’s CTO Ely Greenfield has taken a different route. Since launching the Firefly text-to-image model in March 2023, Adobe has focused on training AI only with content it has explicit rights to, such as Adobe Stock and licensed artwork. This approach prioritizes legal safety and creative integrity.
How Adobe’s Firefly Works Differently
Firefly powers popular apps like Photoshop and Illustrator, helping creators generate and edit assets. So far, users have produced over 26 billion assets using Firefly. Big brands like Mattel and Estée Lauder use it for ideation and asset creation.
Greenfield explains: “Every piece of content we train on is licensed or published under a verifiable license.” This means Firefly intentionally avoids generating images of copyrighted characters like Mickey Mouse, resulting in lower quality for those requests—but that’s a deliberate choice.
Training AI on all internet images might seem thorough, but it often pulls in low-quality or infringing content. Adobe carefully curates its training data to ensure higher quality outputs that are suitable for professional creative work.
Custom AI Models for Enterprise Needs
Adobe’s strict licensing means Firefly’s out-of-the-box model isn't a perfect fit for companies wanting to generate content tied to their own brands, like Coca-Cola. However, Adobe offers enterprise clients the option to train private versions of Firefly, using exclusively their own branding and style assets.
Early challenges included AI’s difficulty generating clear images of hands, prompting Adobe to license more hand photos to improve training. Additionally, all Firefly-generated content undergoes moderation to remove harmful or sensitive images, including those containing trademarks like Nike’s Swoosh or Starbucks’ logo.
Growing Adoption and Integration
Firefly’s popularity is rising. Adobe reported a 30% increase in Firefly app traffic and nearly doubled paid subscriptions in the last quarter ending May 30. The company recently integrated image and video models from OpenAI, Google, Pika Luma AI, and Runway into Firefly, reflecting the growing demand for diverse AI tools.
Customers now have access to multiple AI models within one platform, choosing which to use depending on their needs—whether for safe, commercial-ready assets or more experimental ideation.
Clear Content Credentials for Creative Confidence
To help marketers and creatives, Adobe adds content credentials indicating whether assets are safe for commercial use or intended only for ideation. This transparency puts control in users’ hands, allowing them to decide which AI tools suit their projects best.
Greenfield notes: “Many customers are open to using diverse models for ideation but prefer licensed content for commercial production.”
What Creatives Should Take Away
- AI tools trained on licensed content offer legal safety and higher quality results.
- Enterprise clients can customize AI models to reflect their unique brand styles.
- Moderation and content credentials help maintain ethical and legal standards.
- Access to multiple AI models within one platform supports different creative workflows.
For creatives eager to expand their AI skills, exploring trusted training resources can provide practical guidance on integrating AI tools into your workflow. Check out Complete AI Training for courses tailored to your creative needs.
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