Adobe launches AI Assistant for Express and Photoshop

Adobe today released its new Creative Cloud AI assistant products, Express and Photoshop, which can help users create and edit images.

Most companies want to put AI assistants in the sidebar of their products to get on-screen context. But for Express, Adobe has created a new mode that lets you use text prompts to create new images and designs. You can turn on Assistant mode to use AI prompts and then switch back to use the editing tools and controls available in Express in the current version.

Meanwhile, the new Photoshop Assistant, which is in closed beta testing, is in the sidebar. Adobe claims that Assistant can understand different layers and help you select objects and create masks automatically. Adobe added that users can ask Assistant to complete repetitive tasks such as removing backgrounds or changing colors.

Alexandru Costin, Adobe’s vice president of generative AI, told TechCrunch that the company decided to create a different mode for its AI assistant in Express to target students and professionals who use the app. He explained that the company wants to know whether users can achieve what they want to do without having to return to the traditional interface.

“We think this approach of switching between two modes, where you get the best of both worlds, will make the technology more accessible and controllable,” Kostin said.

The company said it’s also piloting a new type of assistant, dubbed “Project Moonlight,” that can coordinate with different assistants from other Adobe tools and connect to creators’ social channels to better understand their style. Adobe said the product is in the early stages of development and is in private beta.

The company said it is also exploring a way to connect Adobe Express with ChatGPT using the OpenAI Application Integration API to allow users to create designs directly in ChatGPT.

Adobe also announced a new set of AI features for Creative Cloud apps. Photoshop users can now choose external templates, such as Google’s Gemini 2.5 Flash and Black Forest Labs’ FLUX.1 Kontext, for Generative packing featurewhich can remove objects or expand images. The company is also adding an AI-powered object mask in its video editing app, Premiere Pro, to let users easily select and select objects or people to add effects or adjust colors.