Adobe releases the findings of its inaugural Creators’ Toolkit Report, a global study examining how content creators are integrating creative generative AI and mobile tools into their workflows, and what they expect from the next generation of AI, including agentic AI. Creative generative AI refers to models designed to support creative expression by helping creators ideate, generate, and edit content such as images, video, audio, and design.
The report is based on a survey of over 16,000 creators across the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, South Korea, Japan, India, and Australia. It explores creator mindsets, behaviors, and expectations shaping the future of creative work and the creator economy. In India, the findings point to rapid adoption of creative generative AI across creator workflows.
The report shows that creative generative AI has moved from experimentation to regular use. In India, 95% of creators report that creative generative AI has accelerated the growth of their business or follower base, while 85% say it has helped them create content they otherwise could not have made. According to the findings, 97% believe creative generative AI has positively impacted the creator economy.
With 99% of creators actively using creative generative AI, its use spans multiple stages of content creation. Top use cases include editing, upscaling, and enhancement at 77%, generating new assets such as images and video at 75%, and ideation and brainstorming at 58%. The report also notes that 89% of creators used more than one creative generative AI tool in the past three months to improve output quality, experiment with different capabilities, and match tools to specific tasks.
While creators continue to explore new creative generative AI tools, concerns around trust and transparency remain. The survey finds that 78% of creators are concerned about their content being used to train AI without permission. Creators discover new tools through personal research at 74%, social media trends at 68%, and recommendations from other creators at 54%. Barriers to adoption include high cost at 38%, unreliable output quality at 28%, and uncertainty about how AI models are trained at 30%.
Agentic AI is identified as an emerging area of interest. According to the report, 90% of creators feel optimistic or excited about the potential of agentic AI, and 96% would consider using AI that learns their creative style. Desired use cases include automating repetitive tasks at 66%, brainstorming content ideas at 63%, and surfacing content performance insights at 57%.
The report also highlights the growing role of mobile devices in content creation. In India, 81% of creators say they frequently create content on mobile devices. As mobile tools continue to evolve, 89% expect to produce more content on mobile over the next year.
Methodology: Adobe partnered with The Harris Poll to conduct the survey in September 2025. For the study, creators were defined as individuals who create and publish digital content at least a few times per month to inform, entertain, or engage audiences on social platforms. The survey focused on emerging and semi-professional creators, primarily Gen Z and Millennials, rather than full-time creative professionals or those in formal creative industry roles.
