Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) staff is worried that its AI technology puts its customers' jobs at risk and could potentially undermine its own business model.
What Happened: Employees at Adobe are worried that the company's AI tech puts its customers' jobs at risk. Not just that, Adobe staff is also concerned that this may disrupt the company's business model, a large part of which caters to graphic designers.
According to a report by Insider, Adobe employees are concerned about the impact of Firefly, the company's AI tools suite that was unveiled earlier this year.
Photoshop, one of Adobe's most popular products, is now equipped with AI tools that allow users to add graphic elements or extend the image simply by using text prompts.
"A new wave of AI systems may also have a major impact on employment markets around the world. Shifts in workflows triggered by these advances could expose the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs to automation," a Goldman Sachs report said.
AI-powered tools like Midjourney, OpenAI's Dall-E, and others can be used to generate graphics using text prompts. For instance, Midjourney can generate Instagram post backgrounds with a few prompts, while Bing AI chat can create website logos for free.
'Depressing': The report cites Adobe employees calling these developments "depressing" and an "existential crisis" for designers.
In contrast, some employees are more optimistic. They believe that AI will boost the efficiency of employees and will help freelancers increase their output.
Employees are also worried about the impact of AI on Adobe's own business, with employees wondering if generative AI was putting Adobe "in danger of cannibalizing" its own client base.