Adobe has announced a significant upgrade to the AI Assistant feature in Acrobat, its popular PDF editing software. This update, effective from tomorrow, enhances the Assistant’s capabilities, which were initially introduced in February with AI-generated summaries and a chatbot for answering questions about extensive documents.
The standout feature of this update is the multi-document analysis capability. Previously, the AI Assistant focused on individual documents, providing answers with inline citations. Now, users can analyze and query multiple documents simultaneously. Additionally, users can drag and drop non-PDF file types, such as Word and PowerPoint documents, into the chatbot interface, enabling trend identification across various documents.
Adobe is also introducing an AI image generator in Acrobat, powered by the company’s Firefly model. This feature, already available in Photoshop and Illustrator, allows users to remove backgrounds from images or make slight alterations directly within PDF documents. Adobe assures that its generative AI models are “safe for work,” protecting user privacy and brand image.
While competitors like Gemini and ChatGPT offer document upload and analysis, Adobe’s integrated solution within Acrobat provides a more seamless experience. Furthermore, Acrobat’s AI Assistant is priced at $5 per month, significantly cheaper than the $20 per month for ChatGPT Plus or Gemini Advanced. Adobe is also offering the feature for free to all users between June 18 and 28, 2024.
The upgrade comes amidst recent concerns over Adobe’s use of a small sampling of Midjourney images to train its Firefly model, which led to user backlash. Adobe has since revised its terms of service to clarify that user content will not be used to train its AI models. The company reaffirms its commitment to user privacy with this update, stating that documents will be uploaded to the cloud for analysis but will not be used to train its models. Additionally, Adobe prohibits third-party LLM providers from using the data, mirroring Apple’s approach with ChatGPT integration.
This enhancement to Acrobat’s AI Assistant not only boosts productivity by providing advanced document analysis and editing tools but also emphasizes Adobe’s commitment to maintaining user privacy and data security. “Adobe has long focused on establishing a strong foundation of cybersecurity, built on a culture of collaboration, enabled by talented professionals, strong partnerships, leading-edge capabilities, and deep engineering prowess,” said Mike Mellor, vice president, Cyber Operations at Adobe. “We are continuously testing our generative AI technologies, learning from our global teams, the broader security researcher community, and partners to strengthen resiliency and improve our capabilities.”
