Adobe Developing IP-Secure Generative AI Models for Entertainment Industry

As Hollywood continues to embrace generative AI, Adobe is taking steps to position its Firefly suite of creative tools as the go-to solution for studio production needs.

Coinciding with this year's Sundance Film Festival, Adobe announced it is collaborating with several studios, directors, and talent agencies to develop "private, IP-safe" Firefly Foundry generative AI "full models." According to the company, these models are designed to "accelerate creativity without eroding ownership or creative intent," generating diverse assets like audio-aware video and 3D/vector graphics that integrate seamlessly into workflows using other Adobe products such as Premiere.

Unlike many models on the market that rely on vast datasets scraped from the internet, the Firefly Foundry models—targeted at enterprises rather than general consumers—are unique to each Adobe customer and trained exclusively on intellectual property for which the client holds the rights. Adobe's offering shares a similar overarching philosophy with generative AI startups like Asteria. However, as an established company with decades of experience developing such products, Adobe appears better positioned to deliver on this vision.

Adobe states this ensures Firefly Foundry models enable "responsible AI adoption at every stage of production," from pre-visualization to final editing. The company also leverages its legacy of creating the entertainment industry's most widely used creative tools to persuade clients to adopt this new technology.

Hannah Elsakr, Vice President of Adobe's Generative AI Emerging Business, explained in an interview with The Verge that Firefly Foundry originated from the company's prior work with large enterprises using less-customized Firefly models. In those cases, the models had limited capabilities for generating assets beyond static images or understanding the nuances of a client's IP. These limitations stemmed from Adobe's more foundational generative AI models being trained only on inputs for which Adobe had licensed usage rights. This proved insufficient for creating the types of assets Adobe's customers envisioned for the future.

"Global companies like The Home Depot and Disney told us they needed more," Elsakr said. "They require a creative world that understands multiple products, characters, and the physics of how those characters move—whether in video or 3D. That's where Firefly Foundry comes in."

To promote Firefly Foundry, Adobe has partnered with talent agencies including Creative Artists Agency, United Talent Agency, and William Morris Endeavor. The company is also collaborating with directors such as David Ayer (Suicide Squad) and Jaume Collet-Serra (known for Black Adam). Beyond partnerships with production houses like B5 Studios, Promise Advanced Imagination, and Cantina Creative, Adobe is working with institutions like Parsons School of Design and Whistling Woods International to "develop research, educational resources, and curricula focused on AI's role in the creative field."

Firefly Foundry appears to be a generative AI approach that large corporations may be eager to adopt, at least to mitigate potential IP infringement risks associated with general models. By focusing on introducing these tools to the next generation of creative professionals early on, Adobe may be laying the groundwork for long-term market success in the AI arms race.