Adobe surveyed more than 16,000 emerging creators across eight countries for its "Creator Toolkit Report," and the results show that 86 percent of respondents actively use creative generative AI[1]. What was once an experimental tool is now embedded across the entire creative workflow, becoming a force that drives the creator economy. At the same time, concerns about unauthorized training and output quality remain persistent, pointing to the next stage of AI adoption.

Generative AI Moves From Experiment to Essential Tool

The most striking finding is that generative AI is beginning to tie directly to creators' revenue and growth. 76 percent of respondents reported that creative generative AI has accelerated the growth of their business and follower count[1]. A further 81 percent said it helps them create content they could not have produced without generative AI, showing that it expands the very range of their expression[1].

The scope of use goes well beyond isolated tasks. Currently 86 percent of creators actively use generative AI, applying it to editing and quality enhancement (55 percent), generating new assets such as images and video (52 percent), and idea generation and brainstorming (48 percent), so that it now permeates the entire production process[1]. Mike Polner, Adobe's Vice President of Product Marketing and Creators, notes that today's creators are not passive toward generative AI but proactively select and use the tools they trust[1].

Mixing Multiple Tools, and Persistent Concerns Over Trust

Notably, creators do not rely on a single tool. 80 percent of respondents said they used multiple creative generative AI tools over the past three months[1]. Improving the quality of their output and finding the best combination for each task have become an established habit of choosing tools to fit the purpose.

At the same time, trust and transparency remain important considerations. 69 percent of creators are concerned that their content may be used to train AI without permission[1]. The triggers for trying a new tool are varied — personal research at 58 percent, social media trends at 57 percent, and recommendations from other creators at 41 percent — but not every tool takes hold[1]. The main barriers to adoption are high cost at 38 percent, unreliable output quality at 34 percent, and uncertainty about how AI models are trained at 28 percent[1]. Cost and trust appear to be the final hurdles to wider adoption.

Expectations for Agentic AI and the Line of "Human Involvement"

The survey also highlighted interest in "agentic AI," which executes multi-step tasks automatically. 70 percent of creators are optimistic about or have expectations for its potential, and 85 percent said they are considering using AI that learns their own creative style[1].

Even so, creators draw a clear line on where it should apply. The most requested uses are automating repetitive tasks at 51 percent, brainstorming content ideas at 50 percent, and analyzing content performance at 44 percent[1]. Let AI speed up the work, but keep creative decisions in your own hands. Adobe describes this as a "Human in the loop" experience in which people stay actively involved in decisions[1]. It reflects a real, on-the-ground desire to balance speed with creative control.

The Smartphone Becomes a "Production Studio"

Another shift is the role of mobile devices. The view that they are only for simple shooting and editing is already becoming a thing of the past. 72 percent of creators said they now frequently create content on mobile[1].

Backed by improving tool performance and usability, 75 percent of creators expect their volume of mobile content creation to increase over the next year[1]. A literal "production studio in your pocket" — completing everything from planning and shooting to editing and publishing on a single device — is becoming a reality.

Summary

This Adobe survey was conducted in September 2025 in partnership with the research firm Harris Poll, covering more than 16,000 creators across eight countries including Japan[1]. The respondents were mainly emerging creators from Generation Z and the millennial generation, and the findings show that generative AI has become a foundation supporting both their creative work and their income. As creators move past the experimental stage toward mixing multiple tools and adopting agentic AI, the answers to concerns over unauthorized training, cost, and output quality look set to shape the next wave of adoption.

Source: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000529.000041087.html