Adobe Supercharges Firefly with AI Models from OpenAI and Google

Adobe is enhancing its Firefly app by integrating advanced AI models from OpenAI and Google, expanding creative options for users while prioritizing legal safety and flexibility. The move underscores Adobe’s strategy to offer both proprietary and third-party AI tools, meeting the evolving needs of creative professionals.

Adobe is taking a significant step forward in the generative AI race, announcing on Thursday that it is expanding its Firefly app to include image-generation models from some of the biggest names in artificial intelligence—OpenAI and Google. This move marks a notable shift in Adobe’s approach to creative software, offering users not just its proprietary AI models but also third-party options from leading developers like the creators of ChatGPT and Google’s latest Imagen 3 and Veo 2 technologies.

Since its launch in 2023, Adobe’s Firefly has focused on providing AI-powered tools to help creators generate images and video clips. What made Firefly stand out from competitors early on was Adobe’s assurance of what it calls “commercial safety.” The company promised that users would not face legal risks when using AI-generated assets from its models—a key concern for creative professionals who rely on these tools for commercial projects. However, even as Adobe emphasized the safety of its proprietary models, it left the door open for collaborations with other AI developers. On Thursday, that door swung wide open.

The company’s latest announcement introduces a lineup of new capabilities within Firefly. Users will now be able to generate content using OpenAI’s GPT image generation model, as well as Google’s Imagen 3, Veo 2, and Flux 1.1 Pro. Adobe isn’t stopping there—the company also revealed plans to add models from other partners, including fal.ai, Luma, and Runway, shortly. The result is a creative ecosystem where professionals can experiment with a broad range of AI tools, all within the familiar environment of Adobe’s platform.

Ely Greenfield, Adobe’s chief technology officer for digital media, explained the company’s strategy in an interview with Reuters. While many customers remain committed to using Firefly’s in-house models for production work, particularly because of the legal protections offered, there’s a growing appetite for flexibility during the creative process. “We still have lots and lots of customers for whom taking stuff to production, they will only use Firefly because the commercial safety matters to them,” Greenfield said. “But for other parts of the workflow, like ideation, they're interested in experimenting with other models as well. So we're making that choice available to them.”

This choice translates into a seamless experience for creators. With just a few clicks or taps, users can now generate content through these third-party models directly within Firefly and transfer those assets into other Adobe programs like Photoshop or Premiere. The process is designed to feel integrated and frictionless, maintaining Adobe’s core promise of enabling creative workflows without unnecessary complexity.

Adobe also confirmed that the same credit system used for its own AI models will apply when accessing third-party options. This shared payment framework simplifies the user experience, though Adobe declined to specify how the revenue from these models would be split between itself and its partners. Still, the unified approach to credits may encourage broader adoption by reducing the barriers between proprietary and external tools.

The expansion of Firefly comes at a time when generative AI is reshaping industries across the creative spectrum. By combining its focus on legal safety with an open-door policy toward external innovation, Adobe is positioning Firefly as a central hub for content creators who want both reliability and variety. It’s a move that acknowledges the growing demand for choice without sacrificing the company’s core value proposition.

Looking ahead, Adobe’s plan to integrate even more third-party AI models signals a long-term commitment to keeping Firefly competitive in an increasingly crowded space. As new models emerge and the capabilities of generative AI continue to evolve, Adobe’s strategy ensures that its creative community won’t be locked into a single approach but will have the freedom to explore, experiment, and produce with confidence.