Creative generative AI has moved from experimental technology to essential tool for content creators worldwide, according to Adobe‘s first “Creators’ Toolkit Report” released at the Adobe MAX conference. The global survey of more than 16,000 creators across eight countries finds that 86% actively use AI tools designed for creative expression.
The research shows 76% of creators report that AI has accelerated the growth of their business or follower base. Additionally, 81% say the technology helps them create content they otherwise couldn’t produce.
Australian creators demonstrate even higher adoption rates, with 90% actively using creative generative AI tools. The Australia-specific data, based on responses from 2,165 creators, shows 82% report AI has accelerated their business growth, and 86% believe it has “positively impacted” the creator economy overall.
Mike Polner, Vice President and Head of Product Marketing for Creators at Adobe, says creators are “intentionally curating the tools they trust” rather than passively adopting AI.
Creators Integrate AI Across Multiple Workflow Stages
The report identifies three primary use cases for creative generative AI among creators:
Editing, upscaling, and enhancement (55%)
Generating new assets like images and video (52%)
Ideation and brainstorming (48%)
Most creators aren’t limiting themselves to a single solution. The survey finds 60% use multiple AI tools, with creators citing quality improvement, capability experimentation, and task-specific requirements as motivations for maintaining diverse toolsets.
Trust and Transparency Concerns Persist
Despite widespread adoption, Adobe’s research identifies ongoing concerns about AI development. Among creators surveyed, 69% express worry about their content being used to train AI systems without permission.
Cost remains the primary barrier to AI tool adoption at 38%, followed by unreliable output quality (34%) and uncertainty about AI model training methods (28%).
Creators report discovering new AI tools primarily through personal research (58%), social media trends (57%), and recommendations from other creators (41%).
Agentic AI Represents Next Adoption Wave
The survey indicates strong creator interest in agentic AI, systems that proactively assist and perform multi-step actions on a user’s behalf. Seventy percent of creators express optimism about this technology’s potential, while 85% would consider using AI that learns their creative style.
Creators show particular interest in agentic AI applications that:
Automate repetitive tasks (51%)
Brainstorm content ideas (50%)
Surface content performance insights (44%)
The report emphasizes that creators want human-in-the-loop experiences in which AI accelerates workflows while retaining creative control with the human user.
Mobile Becomes Primary Creative Platform
Adobe’s research also highlights the evolving role of mobile devices in content creation. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of creators frequently use mobile devices for content production, and 75% expect to increase mobile content production in the coming year.
The research coincides with Adobe’s announcement at MAX of new AI innovations across its product lineup. These include studio-quality generative audio and video tools in Adobe Firefly for end-to-end video creation, new conversational AI assistants powered by agentic AI, and the integration of various AI models from partners including Google, OpenAI, and Runway directly into Adobe’s creative tools. The company also unveiled Firefly Custom Models that allow creators to generate assets in their own personal style.
The survey focused primarily on emerging and semi-professional creators, predominantly from Gen Z and Millennial demographics, across the U.S., UK, France, Germany, South Korea, Japan, India, and Australia. Data was collected in September 2025 in partnership with The Harris Poll.
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
Creative generative AI has moved from experimental technology to essential tool for content creators worldwide, according to Adobe‘s first “Creators’ Toolkit Report” released at the Adobe MAX conference. The global survey of more than 16,000 creators across eight countries finds that 86% actively use AI tools designed for creative expression.
The research shows 76% of creators report that AI has accelerated the growth of their business or follower base. Additionally, 81% say the technology helps them create content they otherwise couldn’t produce.
Australian creators demonstrate even higher adoption rates, with 90% actively using creative generative AI tools. The Australia-specific data, based on responses from 2,165 creators, shows 82% report AI has accelerated their business growth, and 86% believe it has “positively impacted” the creator economy overall.
Mike Polner, Vice President and Head of Product Marketing for Creators at Adobe, says creators are “intentionally curating the tools they trust” rather than passively adopting AI.
Creators Integrate AI Across Multiple Workflow Stages
The report identifies three primary use cases for creative generative AI among creators:
Most creators aren’t limiting themselves to a single solution. The survey finds 60% use multiple AI tools, with creators citing quality improvement, capability experimentation, and task-specific requirements as motivations for maintaining diverse toolsets.
Trust and Transparency Concerns Persist
Despite widespread adoption, Adobe’s research identifies ongoing concerns about AI development. Among creators surveyed, 69% express worry about their content being used to train AI systems without permission.
Cost remains the primary barrier to AI tool adoption at 38%, followed by unreliable output quality (34%) and uncertainty about AI model training methods (28%).
Creators report discovering new AI tools primarily through personal research (58%), social media trends (57%), and recommendations from other creators (41%).
Agentic AI Represents Next Adoption Wave
The survey indicates strong creator interest in agentic AI, systems that proactively assist and perform multi-step actions on a user’s behalf. Seventy percent of creators express optimism about this technology’s potential, while 85% would consider using AI that learns their creative style.
Creators show particular interest in agentic AI applications that:
The report emphasizes that creators want human-in-the-loop experiences in which AI accelerates workflows while retaining creative control with the human user.
Mobile Becomes Primary Creative Platform
Adobe’s research also highlights the evolving role of mobile devices in content creation. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of creators frequently use mobile devices for content production, and 75% expect to increase mobile content production in the coming year.
The research coincides with Adobe’s announcement at MAX of new AI innovations across its product lineup. These include studio-quality generative audio and video tools in Adobe Firefly for end-to-end video creation, new conversational AI assistants powered by agentic AI, and the integration of various AI models from partners including Google, OpenAI, and Runway directly into Adobe’s creative tools. The company also unveiled Firefly Custom Models that allow creators to generate assets in their own personal style.
The survey focused primarily on emerging and semi-professional creators, predominantly from Gen Z and Millennial demographics, across the U.S., UK, France, Germany, South Korea, Japan, India, and Australia. Data was collected in September 2025 in partnership with The Harris Poll.