1. 85 percent describe creative AI as integrated or essential to their workflow
2. While creators are optimistic about agentic AI for creative work, 87 percent say the final creative decision should always remain theirs
3. The second iteration of the global survey of more than 16,000 creators across eight countries including India, explores how creative AI is shaping the creator economy, from helping creators grow their businesses and stand out in a crowded landscape to building audience trust and defining expectations for the next generation of AI tools
Adobe - the global technology leader that empowers creativity, productivity and personalized customer experiences through innovative tools and platforms released its 2026 Creators’ Toolkit Report, finding 96% of creators in India using creative AI say it has accelerated the growth of their business or audience, while 85% describe it as integrated or essential to how they work. These findings underscore how creative AI has become a core part of today’s creator economy.
Based on the survey results of more than 16,000 creators across the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, South Korea, Japan, India and Australia, the report details how creators are using creative AI to grow their businesses, amplify their creativity and stand out in an increasingly competitive content landscape. Building on last year’s inaugural report, which found creative AI adoption was accelerating among creators, the 2026 edition shows creative AI has become essential creative infrastructure for many creators, helping them grow audiences, compete more effectively and unlock new opportunities.
As AI-assisted content becomes more widespread, the qualities that help creators stand out point of view, judgment and taste are becoming more valuable. In a world where use of AI tools is becoming the norm, the creators who break through are the ones with something distinctive to say.
KEY FINDINGS FROM INDIA
Creative AI Has Become Core to Creator Workflows and How They Grow Their Businesses
Creative AI has crossed a threshold. Among creators who use or have tried it, creative AI is no longer a side experiment.
- 96% say it has accelerated the growth of their business or follower base.
- 80% say creative AI has made them feel more confident as a creator, more professional in their creative work or more serious about their creative work.
- 85% describe creative AI as integrated or essential to how they work.
- Nearly half (71%) say creative AI makes them feel more secure about their future as a creator, while 55% say AI-assisted content consistently performs better.
- 82 percent anticipate using creative AI even more over the next year.
- 52 percent say AI helps them produce content faster and at a higher quality than they could without it.
As Creative AI Becomes More Widely Adopted, Creator Voice Becomes More Valuable
When everyone can produce more, and output becomes easier, the advantage shifts from volume of output to voice, taste and point of view.
- Among creators who say it's harder to stand out today than a year ago, 57% point to sheer content volume as the culprit, while 44% say AI-generated content is making it harder for unique voices to stand out.
- And yet 75% say their ability to compete with larger teams or studios feels stronger since using creative AI, suggesting the creators gaining ground are the ones who've figured out how to make AI reflect their voice.
- As more creators use creative AI in their work, 94% believe that the work they create with AI still reflects their unique voice.
- 77% say human judgment remains essential to creative taste.
Creative AI Helps Creators Move Faster, But Human Refinement Makes the Work Ready
98% of creators say creative AI helps them produce content faster, but speed is only part of the story. Creative AI accelerates the start, but human taste and judgment determines what gets published.
- Faster-to-draft is not the same as ready-to-publish: 72% say their creative AI outputs typically require moderate or extensive editing before they're ready to share.
- Even so, creative AI is delivering additional value beyond efficiency: 37% say it gives them more freedom to experiment before pitching ideas and 47% say it gives them the confidence to pursue more ambitious ideas and projects.
Era of Agentic Creativity: Creators Want AI Agents That Make Space for More Creative Thinking
Agentic AI systems that can orchestrate and execute multi-step tasks is what creators are looking to next, and they have a clear view of what that handoff requires.
- 87% say the final creative decision should always remain with the creator, whether they are using generative or agentic AI.
- When asked what would make them most comfortable giving an AI agent more independence, their answers reveal a consistent logic around control: 54% want the ability to review, edit, or undo at any point, 42% want transparency into what the agent is doing and why, and 34% want clear limits on what data and tools it can access.
Control isn't the obstacle to adoption. It's the prerequisite. And when creators imagine what they would do with the time agents free up, the answer is telling 24% say they'd focus on learning new creative skills, and 29% say they'd spend more time on higher-level creative ideas and direction. The creators most open to handing off routine work aren't looking to step back. They want the time to go deeper into the work that's actually theirs.
As Creative AI Use Grows, Creators Face New Questions Around Disclosure and Ownership
Creators have a clear read on what audiences expect around disclosing AI use. Yet actual disclosure behavior tells a different story:
- 93% of creators say audience expectations around disclosure are increasing or holding steady.
- 82% believe their audience can already tell when creative AI was meaningfully involved in their work.
- Creators are still deciding what meaningful disclosure looks like in practice: 52% say they always or often disclose AI use, while 16% say they rarely or never do.
- Ownership is emerging as another important consideration for creators who use creative AI to amplify their voice. 96% of creators say it’s important to be able to obtain copyright protection for work created with the assistance of creative AI.
The Mobile Device Is Emerging as an AI-Powered Creative Studio
Mobile devices are increasingly becoming the primary platform for content creation and AI-assisted workflows. From ideation and content creation to editing and publishing, creators are leveraging mobile tools to create and share content wherever inspiration strikes.
- 96 percent use AI tools on mobile devices
- 95 percent create content on mobile devices
Methodology: Adobe partnered with The Harris Poll to survey more than 16,000 creators across the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, South Korea, Japan, India and Australia in May 2026. For this survey, creators were defined as individuals who create and publish digital content several times per month to inform, entertain or engage an audience and generate income across digital platforms, with respondents comprising emerging and professional social-first creators rather than individuals employed full-time in traditional creative industry roles. Creative AI refers to AI models and tools designed to support creative expression by helping creators ideate, generate and edit content across images, video, audio and design.
Disclaimer: This is a press-release.