Innovation, the Adobe Way

Generative AI has emerged as a catalyst for experience-led growth, revolutionising the way industries approach customer engagement and innovation. This synergy between artificial intelligence and user experience has paved the way for personalised, dynamic interactions that drive business growth while redefining the boundaries of customer-centric strategies.

The imprint of Adobe’s contributions on the global stage is undeniable—from pioneering the concept of desktop publishing to trailblazing the expansive domain of visual creativity and imagination, Adobe has been at the forefront of innovation for a long time. Adobe’s famed Photoshop is a household name today, synonymous with editing photographs, while its role in sculpting the landscape of documents and electronic data remains an inventive triumph. The brand has also solidified its position as a leader with its cutting-edge MarTech platform, and has played a key role in defining the landscape of SaaS. Adobe’s strategic investments in Generative AI, including advancements like Firefly, are redefining content creation and personalization. The brand announced Firefly’s adaptation as a co-pilot on photoshop and Illustrator, the new Adobe Express, the introduction of AI power on Acrobat, and other Adobe Sensei innovations, creating an exciting roadmap ahead that will transform workflows. The BETA release of Firefly and its integration into Photoshop were the two most successful BETA launches in company history.

The Adobe India Best of Summit 2023 – Mumbai edition held last week witnessed some insightful and power-packed speaker sessions and panels. The speakers delved into the evolving prospect of generative AI and its role in fostering experience-led growth.

At the summit, Prativa Mohapatra, Vice President & Managing Director, Adobe India said, “40 years of innovation and 25 glorious years in India—I’m super proud of it. The accomplishments embody the driving force behind Adobe—our partnerships, and the dedication of our employees. In today’s world, customers seek to engage with companies that share their ambitious values and principles. Trust is cultivated in companies that believe in reciprocating trust. This sentiment has been the guiding light for Adobe over the last two years.”

Speaking of the three key pillars of Adobe, Mohapatra listed Trust, as the first pillar, talking about the brand’s expansion in India, while discussing the number of patents filed by the engineers in India, every year. She then spoke about the second pillar which is Creativity for All, mentioning the brand’s focus on driving creativity as a skill with their partnerships with state governments and educational institutions. Lastly, the third pillar which is Tech to Transform, where she spoke about Adobe’s efforts in providing accessible and sustainable solutions. She emphasised on the fact that digital integration has indeed reshaped lives, created a surge in content, and made way for hybrid work models. She also spoke about how emerging technologies such as AI has enhanced human ingenuity rather than replacing it.

Today, Adobe’s mission is centred on transforming the world through Digital experiences, seemingly transcending students, end-users, organisations, and governments. According to Mohapatra, the company’s ultimate goal is to revolutionise experiences through Digital innovation, a sentiment echoed by the burgeoning discourse around data empowerment. After all, it is in Adobe’s blueprint to initiate experiences with the motive of imagination and idea expression.

Adobe has also innovated tools that aid in imagination and idea creation. Similarly, Adobe’s heavy investment in content in terms of AI, goes to show that the brand will continue to do so in the future. Mohapatra believes that when addressing challenges of achieving growth in today’s world, experience is the defining factor, as it parallels customer engagement. She said during the summit, “In our pursuit of growth, we consider how we architect and establish the foundational principles to support experience. The initial steps involve generating ideas and offering an environment that encourages innovation. The subsequent phase entails crafting content and data, followed by imagination.”

Shedding light on the significance of data, Mohapatra stressed on its role in generating insights from collected information. She went on to highlight Adobe’s integration of data architecture and analytics, powering its product suite, particularly the Adobe Experience Cloud, for enhancing customer experiences. With the convergence of product and customer analytics, and the integration of AI with Adobe Sensei, the brand is enabling, scaling, and innovating across their product development framework.

Reflecting on the kind of architecture that Adobe is building, Mohapatra shared some statistics highlighting its impact, she said, “The Real-Time Customer Data Platform (RTCDP) generates around 600 billion predictive insights annually. Approximately 30 million audience activations occur daily, illustrating the depth of touchpoints. This convergence drives the world towards a significant Digital transformation. Amidst these developments, Adobe remains at the forefront, embracing Gen AI, ensuring a progressive journey into the Digital future.”

At the summit, Venu Juvvala, Country Leader - Digital Experience, Adobe India moderated an insightful keynote panel discussion on experience-led growth and the impact of Digital transformation. The panel comprised Akhil Handa, Chief Digital Officer, Bank of Baroda, and Sathish Gopalaiah, President Consulting, Deloitte South Asia. The discussion highlighted the potential of Gen AI in enabling compliance and enhancing customer experiences across industries. The role of Gen AI in aiding complex decision-making, and its importance in navigating regulatory frameworks.

We can all agree that Gen AI will be greatly beneficial for industries, and thus enhance customer experiences as well. But Juvvala further noted that it will help us synthesize vast amounts of data, navigate compliance, and provide valuable insights to both customers and internal stakeholders, ultimately creating a more efficient and customer-centric ecosystem. According to him, “This aligns with Adobe’s perspective that Gen AI acts as a co-pilot, improving our performance without replacing human roles, rather augmenting our intelligence.”

While delivering the keynote address at the summit, Gowthamram Nallan, Manager, Solution Consulting, Adobe discussed Adobe’s focus on Experience and Growth, highlighting the importance of personalization, and how the brand introduced the concept of Adobe Sensei GenAI services that assist in various aspects of marketing, from content creation to campaign planning, leveraging AI’s insights and efficiency. Launched this year, Adobe Sensei GenAI claims to amplify creativity and intelligence without replacing the beauty and power of the human imagination. The session also delved into other advancements, such as Adobe Mix Modeler, Product Manager, and quantum content supply chain solutions.

The summit also saw a fire-side chat between Arvind Gupta, Co-Founder & Head, Digital India Foundation, and Prativa Mohapatra, Vice President & Managing Director, Adobe India. They discussed the role of innovation in transforming India into a technologically empowered society. Gupta shared some interesting insights from his role in BJP’s digital campaign, highlighting the power of data analytics and personalized messaging for successful political campaigns.