Adobe just dropped AI assistants into Express and Photoshop, marking a significant shift in how creators interact with the company's flagship tools. The new features promise to streamline everything from image generation to complex editing tasks, while Adobe experiments with cross-platform AI coordination through its secretive "Project Moonlight" initiative.
Adobe is betting big on AI assistants, but they're taking a different approach than most tech companies. While competitors stuff AI into sidebars, Adobe's rolling out dedicated AI modes and cross-platform coordination that could reshape creative workflows entirely.
The company's Express app now features a completely new AI mode that lets users generate images and designs through text prompts. Users can toggle between this AI-first interface and traditional editing tools - a hybrid approach that Adobe's VP of generative AI Alexandru Costin says targets both students and professionals. "We think this approach of switching between two modes, where you get the best of both worlds, is gonna make the technology both accessible and controllable," Costin told TechCrunch.
Photoshop's getting its own assistant, though it's taking the more conventional sidebar route during its closed beta phase. The tool promises to understand layers automatically and handle tedious tasks like background removal and color adjustments. Adobe claims it can intelligently select objects and create masks - features that typically require significant Photoshop expertise.
But the real intrigue lies in Adobe's experimental "Project Moonlight," currently in private beta. This cross-platform assistant coordinates between different Adobe tools and connects to creators' social media channels to analyze their style preferences. It's Adobe's attempt at building an AI that truly understands a creator's workflow across their entire digital presence.
The timing couldn't be more critical for Adobe. The creative software giant faces mounting pressure from AI-native competitors and needs to prove its established user base won't jump ship for newer, more AI-integrated alternatives. Revenue from Adobe's Creative Cloud hit $3.2 billion in its most recent quarter, but growth has slowed as the market saturates.
Adobe's also hedging its bets by opening up to third-party AI models. Photoshop users can now tap Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash and Black Forest Labs' FLUX.1 Kontext for generative fill features. The company's even exploring direct ChatGPT integration through OpenAI's app integrations API, allowing users to create Express designs without leaving the ChatGPT interface.
