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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1513481
AI for All Adobe MAX 2023 Opening Keynote In some subtle ways, the all the MAX conference keynotes had a different tone in 2023. As before, the 7,000+ capacity Peackcock Theater and overflow rooms were at capacity and the full-width, multi-story tall, animated graphics behind the speakers were impressive. Though all the presentations were ebullient, the hyperbole was toned down. They not only included the benefits of the new smart features, but Adobe’s efforts to approach Generative AI in a way that is mindful of fairness and ethics. This was an obvious necessity in a roomful of people who understood the potential challenges of a GenAI future that’s moving at a breakneck pace. In his opening remarks, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen called this “the year of AI” for Adobe, pointing out that the slideshow of remarkable images projected before the event were all created by Firefly, Adobe’s branding of their Gen AI technology, with the text prompts that created them. The effort, he said was “unleashing art with creatives at the center,” and calling gen-tech “not and end but an on-ramp.” It has been a very crowded one, with over 3 billion Firefly images created since the release of the beta last March. Firefly and Art David Wadhwani, Adobe’s President of Digital Media, introduced what was essentially the production rollout of Adobe’s Gen AI initiative, branded Firefly. He also introduced the four cornerstones of Adobe’s approach to Generative AI: it would be deeply and seamlessly integrated with their applications; it would be safe to use commercially, free from the possibility of legally contested training assets (it’s trained on the Adobe Stock library with the creator’s consent); and it would contain content credentials via Adobe’s 2,000-member Content Authenticity Initiative. Though this doesn’t satisfy all creatives’ concerns about the potential encroachment of Gen AI, it’s a better start than most GenAI services have made. Wadhwani drew a parallel to the introduction of Photoshop and many artists’ reaction that “art could not be digital” and some loudly expressed concerns about what it would mean to their work and their careers. He reached back further and cited 19th century painter Paul Delaroche who proclaimed, “Painting is dead,” when he first saw a photograph. Generative AI, Wadhwani said, was another case of art intersecting with technology. Rather than replacing the role of artists, it will help them meet a rapidly growing demand for content. (We sympathize with those who may squirm a bit at having their work referred to as “content.”)