Adobe reveals: 62% of French creators adopt generative AI

Adobe Reveals: 62% of French Creators Embrace Generative AI

Creative AI Now Embedded in Practices

Creative AI is no longer just an experiment for creators. This is the main takeaway from the Creators’ Toolkit study published by Adobe and The Harris Poll. A trend already observed in late 2025, when French creators explained to BDM how they were integrating AI into their production workflows. A few months later, the adoption has been confirmed and now comes with a new demand: to maintain control.

Methodology of the Creators' Toolkit Study

Adobe and The Harris Poll surveyed over 16,000 creators in May 2026 across eight countries (United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, South Korea, Japan, India, and Australia), including 2,002 in France. The study targets independent and professional creators who publish multiple times a month on social media to engage their audience and generate revenue, excluding full-time employees in traditional creative industries.

Creative AI Now Embedded in Practices

According to the study, 63% of creators believe that creative AI is integrated or essential to their work, while only 3% consider themselves still in the testing phase. This adoption is accompanied by tangible results:

• 80% claim it has accelerated the growth of their business or community.
• 57% feel more confident or professional in their creative approach.

The effect even extends beyond productivity, with one-third of creators (33%) stating that AI reassures them about their future in the profession.

In France, 62% of creators report using generative AI in their creative process, and 79% use it more frequently than a year ago. Their usage is primarily focused on optimizing workflow:

• 61% use it for editing, enhancing, or optimizing content.
• 58% for generating creative assets (images, videos, audio).
• Only 30% for ideation phases (brainstorming, mood boards).

The Human Voice, a New Differentiating Factor

With the widespread use of AI, the advantage no longer lies in the volume produced but in uniqueness. Among creators who find it harder to stand out than a year ago, 52% cite the sheer volume of available content, and 36% believe that AI-generated productions hinder unique voices from emerging. Nevertheless, the tool reshuffles the power dynamics: 45% feel better equipped to compete with larger structures since they started using AI.

Keeping One's Voice While Gaining Speed

Far from diluting their identity, AI is perceived as an extension of the creative gesture:

• 74% of creators believe that content produced with its help still expresses their identity.
• 79% see human judgment as essential to artistic taste.

The time-saving aspect is nearly unanimous (93%), but it is not just about producing faster. 35% see it as providing more freedom to test ideas, and 28% feel more confident to embark on ambitious projects.

However, speed alone is not sufficient for publishing. More than one in two creators (51%) specify that AI-generated results require moderate or extensive editing before being shared. In other words, AI accelerates the start, but the human hand decides when to publish.

Expected Transparency, Yet Still Timid

Creators know that their audience is attentive to these practices:

• 84% observe that it demands as much, if not more, transparency than before.
• 69% believe their audience can already guess when AI played a significant role in a creation.

This awareness does not always translate into disclosure, with 45% of respondents indicating they always or often disclose their use of AI, while 19% do so never or almost never. The issue of rights accompanies this rise in expectations, with 85% of creators deeming it essential to protect works created with the help of AI.

Agentic AI, the Next Step Under Conditions

After generative AI, it is agentic AI (capable of managing complex tasks in multiple steps) that creators identify as the next frontier. However, their acceptance remains conditional on control. 83% believe that the final decision should always rest with them, whether the AI is generative or agentic.

To delegate to an agent, their priorities are clear:

• 42% want to be able to consult, correct, or cancel an action at any time.
• 36% demand transparency regarding the actions taken by the agent.
• 31% require clear limits on the data and tools accessible.

This demand for a framework aligns with the recent positioning of publishers. Adobe, for example, has introduced its Firefly AI Assistant, a creative agent that orchestrates the Creative Cloud while, according to the publisher, keeping control in the hands of the creator. As for the time this delegation could free up, 27% of creators say they would use it to acquire new creative skills.