Many creators these days are often asking themselves the same question: “How will AI change what I do?”
Creators are trying to figure out where AI fits in their workflows and how these new technologies can open doors to new creative worlds and new career paths.
At this year’s Adobe MAX, Stacy Martinet offered her perspective. Speaking on mainstage at the world’s biggest creativity conference, Adobe’s VP of marketing and communications laid out her vision, along with real-world examples, of how Adobe is designing tools that amplify—not displace—creators.
Your Curiosity, At the Center
At the heart of Martinet’s keynote was a simple but powerful idea: creative careers aren’t dictated by tools and do not have to follow a prescribed path. Instead, they grow by being curious and open.
“Creative careers are driven by curiosity,” Martinet said. “Curiosity to learn and try new things. That will take you very far.”
Martinet didn’t mince words when addressing where AI fits into creative work. She rejected the notion that new tech is coming to make creators irrelevant.
“No one–and no technology–can replace your ideas, your collaborations with your creative community, or the amazing tension that is the creative process.”
She emphasized that although the tools might evolve, the traits that make a creator’s work theirs (like their point of view or lived experiences) can’t be automated away.
More Choice, Less Compromise
Martinet’s talk also centered on flexibility. Adobe’s approach to building new tools like Adobe Firefly isn’t about forcing creators into an AI-workflow. Rather, it’s about giving them options.
“Some days, you just want to lean into the craft, doing everything by hand,” Martinet said. “Other days, if you’re crunched for time, you can just use AI to help you get things done or try something new.
“The choice is always in your hands.”
Martinet highlighted the work of MetaPuppet, an Emmy-award winning filmmaker and creator based in Brooklyn. Using Adobe tools, he was able to bring a decades old creative vision to life in a short film he produced titled “Kyra.”
Using Firefly, MetaPuppet revived the memories of a famed warehouse and graffiti canvas in New York City that no longer exists. By combining a personal archive of 20-year-old photographs, live-recorded sounds, and present-day B-roll footage, he could tell his story through a mix of real-world and AI-generated content.
Community as Creative Fuel
Beyond tools and techniques, Martinet emphasized something every creator (especially this audience at The Publish Press) knows to be true:
Community matters.
Creativity doesn’t have to be a solo sport. The connections you make, the people you collaborate with, and the ideas you exchange are just as vital as the tools you use.
To emphasize this, Martinet mentioned Adobe’s partnership with CreativeMornings, which hosts free creative meetups in cities worldwide. Coming together, whether at big conferences like MAX or through grassroots events through CreativeMornings, is critical for creators to remain engaged and inspired.
Optimism For What’s Next
Martinet’s keynote cut through the noise swirling around AI’s transformation of creativity. Instead of the typical positioning of AI as a threat, she framed Adobe’s tools as amplifiers of human creativity. The company is also taking it one step further with Adobe Digital Academy-empowering global learners with creative and AI skills to drive career growth, equity, and opportunity in the evolving future of work.
AI allows you to move faster, experiment more freely, and bring ideas to life that might otherwise stay stuck in your head.
Adobe is betting that the future of creativity isn't about choosing between AI and human craft. Instead, they believe it's about having both at your fingertips. If you'd like to hear more about their vision of creative tools, watch Martinet's full keynote here.
