Following several months of beta testing, Adobe has announced that its Firefly generative AI model is now commercially available across Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Express, and Adobe Experience Cloud. This means that the Firefly-powered workflows, which were previously limited to beta versions of Adobe’s apps such as Illustrator’s vector recoloring, Express text-to-image effects, and Photoshop’s Generative Fill tools, are now accessible to most users. However, there may be some regional restrictions in countries with strict AI laws, such as China. To make Firefly more accessible, Adobe is launching a standalone Firefly web app that will allow users to explore some of its generative capabilities without subscribing to specific Adobe Creative Suite applications. This web app and Adobe Express Premium will be included as part of a paid Creative Cloud subscription plan.
One of the notable features of Firefly is its ability to generate content that is commercially safe to use for businesses. Adobe trained Firefly on Adobe Stock and public domain content that is no longer subject to copyright, making it a commercially safe generative AI model. Moreover, Adobe is developing ways for customers to customize Firefly models with their own assets, enabling them to generate custom content specific to their brand. This feature can be particularly useful for businesses looking to create personalized and unique content.
To address concerns related to the authenticity and attribution of AI-generated content, Adobe has introduced Content Credentials. Content generated using Firefly-powered features includes a digital “nutrition label” that attaches attribution metadata to the image, identifying it as AI-generated. This label displays information such as the asset’s name, creation date, the tools used to create it, and any edits made. By implementing Content Credentials, Adobe aims to promote responsible use of generative AI and is part of the Content Authenticity Initiative, backed by various industry players.
In order to manage the compute demand and associated costs of generative AI, Adobe is introducing a new credit-based system. Users can utilize Generative Credits to access the fastest Firefly-powered workflows. The Firefly web app, Express Premium, and Creative Cloud paid plans will include a monthly allocation of Generative Credits, with all-app Creative Cloud subscribers receiving 1,000 credits per month. Although users can still generate Firefly content exceeding their credit limit, the experience will be slower. Free plans for supported apps also come with a credit allocation, subject to the specific app’s limit. If these credits are exhausted before the monthly reset, customers can purchase additional Firefly Generative Credit subscription packs, starting at $4.99.
In addition to making Firefly more accessible to users, Adobe is introducing a new annual bonus scheme for Adobe Stock contributors. Contributors who allow their stock submissions to be used to train Adobe’s AI models will be eligible for this bonus. The payout will vary based on the frequency of contributions and the licensing of their work, and it will be paid on top of their existing stock royalties payments. While the exact figure of the bonus has not been disclosed, Adobe has confirmed that it will be meaningful.
This bonus scheme may help address tensions between Adobe and creatives who want to be compensated for their work being used to train AI models. Such disputes have arisen in other copyright disputes between AI providers and creatives who are upset about their work being used without their consent to train AI models.
Overall, Adobe’s release of the Firefly generative AI model and the accompanying features and improvements aim to empower creatives and businesses by providing them with powerful AI tools while ensuring responsible and commercial use of the content generated. By implementing measures like Content Credentials and introducing the credit-based system, Adobe intends to address concerns related to content authenticity, attribution, and the cost associated with generative AI.
