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721 points ralusek | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
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ryandrake ◴[] No.41870217[source]
I'm making some big assumptions about Adobe's product ideation process, but: This seems like the "right" way to approach developing AI products: Find a user need that can't easily be solved with traditional methods and algorithms, decide that AI is appropriate for that thing, and then build an AI system to solve it.

Rather than what many BigTech companies are currently doing: "Wall Street says we need to 'Use AI Somehow'. Let's invest in AI and Find Things To Do with AI. Later, we'll worry about somehow matching these things with user needs."

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dmurray ◴[] No.41871915[source]
I would interpret it that they're getting the same push from Wall Street and the same investor-hype-driven product leadership as every other tech firm, but this time they have the good fortune to specialize in one of the few verticals (image editing) where generative AI currently has superhuman performance.

This is a testable claim: where were Adobe in previous hype cycles? Googles "Adobe Blockchain"...looks like they were all about blockchains in 2018 [0], then NFTs and "more sustainable blockchains" in 2022 [1].

[0] https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2018/09/27/blockchain-and-...

[1] https://www.ledgerinsights.com/adobe-moves-to-sustainable-bl...

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TheOtherHobbes ◴[] No.41873177[source]
The article says clearly there's no guarantee this feature will be released.

Which I'm reading as "Demo-ready, but far from production-ready."

Somewhat relevant: my experience with Photoshop's Generative Fill has been underwhelming. Sometimes it's wrong, often it's comically wrong. I haven't had many easy wins with it.

IMO this is a company that doodles with code for its own entertainment, not a company that innovates robust and highly useful production-ready features for the benefit of users.

So we'll see if Mr Spinny Dragon makes it to production, and is as useful as billed in the demo.

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DowagerDave ◴[] No.41873376[source]
you don't need to release to production for real value. I'm under intense pressure to scope out frothy AI features because just discussing them with prospects has a material impact on the costs of the sales funnel.
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1. DaiPlusPlus ◴[] No.41875577[source]
> just discussing them with prospects [...] sales funnel

I'll admit I have no idea what % of Adobe licensees/subscribers are individuals and small visual/graphic design firms (who choose Adobe for personal reasons) compared to larger companies (news agencies, web-design body-shops, etc) where employees use the tools given to them despite any personal preferences for rivals like Procreate, etc - and the rest: students, hobbyist photographers, etc.

...but none of the aforementioned market-segments seem like they'd make "AI" (whatever that means) any part of their purchasing-decision. Buzzwords only help sales when the audience is ignorant and/or impressionable; and when your audience are well-informed, seasoned (and cynical) professionals then buzzwords have the opposite effect and damage a company's credibility.

...so I'm not sure who, exactly, Adobe is trying to message with their press-copy for Adobe Firefly (their "generative AI for business" product); perhaps it's just a charade meant only for their shareholders? I'm glad they aren't copying Microsoft and shoving AI branding where it really doesn't belong and compromising the user-experience (...at least not so the same extent).

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2. fourthark ◴[] No.41876127[source]
Execs love genai & execs make purchasing decisions.