Adobe Launches New AI Smartphone App

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Adobe Inc. has unveiled its first dedicated artificial intelligence app for smartphones, named Firefly, as part of its strategy to capitalize on the increasing popularity of sharing AI-generated images and videos on social media.

Available on both iOS and Android, Firefly integrates Adobe’s own AI models along with those from new partners like Ideogram, Luma AI, Pika, and Runway. Previously, the service was limited to a web version utilizing models from Google and OpenAI alongside Adobe’s offerings.

These additional models will also be accessible in the new app, according to Adobe.

The trend of generating shareable images has become a significant factor in driving interest in AI, exemplified by OpenAI’s engaging Ghibli-style images, which have attracted immense traffic to their platform.

For subscribers, Adobe’s mobile service offers unlimited basic image generation using Adobe’s models, while advanced access will come at an extra charge. The subscription fee aligns with the web version of Firefly, starting at $10 per month.

Additionally, Adobe has previously introduced AI tools in the mobile version of its widely-used image editing software, Photoshop.

While the company has not disclosed the compensation given to partner models featured in the Firefly app, it reassures users that its AI model is trained exclusively on content it has the legal right to use, providing protection against copyright claims.

Ely Greenfield, Adobe’s chief technology officer for digital media, noted that this commitment resonates well with consumers. He mentioned, “The promise of commercial safety and the story about how Firefly is trained continues to be a really important differentiator.”