Adobe launches AI assistant for Express and Photoshop

Adobe today released new AI assistants in Creative Cloud products, Express and Photoshop, that can help users with image creation and editing.

Most companies prefer to place AI assistants in the sidebar of their products to understand the on-screen context. But for Express, Adobe has created a new mode that lets you use text prompts to create new images and designs. You can switch to Assistive Mode to use AI cues and then switch back to use the editing tools and controls available in Express in the current version.

Meanwhile, the new Photoshop Assistant, which is in closed beta testing, lives in the sidebar. Adobe claims that the Assistant can understand different layers and help you automatically select objects and create masks. Adobe said users can ask the Assistant to complete repetitive tasks like removing a background or changing a color.

Alexandru Costin, Adobe’s vice president of generative AI, told TechCrunch that the company decided to create a separate mode for its AI assistant in Express to target students and professionals who use the app. He explained that the company wanted to see if users could achieve what they wanted to do without switching back to the traditional interface.

“We think this approach of switching between two modes, where you get the best of both worlds, will make the technology both accessible and controllable,” Costin said.

The company said it’s also experimenting with a new type of assistant that can coordinate with different assistants from other Adobe tools, and connect to a creator’s social channels to better understand their style. Adobe said the product is in the early stages of development and is in private beta.

The company said it is also exploring a way to connect Adobe Express to ChatGPT using OpenAI’s app integration API so users can create designs directly in ChatGPT.

Adobe also announced a new set of AI features for its Creative Cloud apps. Photoshop users can now choose third-party models like Google’s Gemini 2.5 Flash and Black Forest Labs’ FLUX.1 Context for the Generative Fill feature, which can remove objects or expand images. The company is also adding an AI-powered object mask to its video editing app, Premiere Pro, so users will be able to identify and select objects or people to easily add effects or adjust colors.