Adobe has announced an expanded partnership with Google at Adobe MAX 2026, and while the announcement is heavy on AI jargon, there implications for creatives could be interesting.
Perhaps most exciting is a collaboration with Google DeepMind to develop new AI editing capabilities for Photoshop. The companies are exploring a customised Google image model that could allow users to make near-real-time edits using text prompts, switching between variations without disrupting their workflow. In theory, that could make generative editing feel less like a frustrating cycle of prompting and waiting, and more like working with a traditional Photoshop tool. The catch? It's still exploratory, with no release date announced.
“Adobe’s mission is to empower everyone to create, and our AI innovations are helping more people express their ideas and create in ways that amplify their voice, while maintaining creative control,” said Anil Chakravarthy, president and incoming CEO of Adobe. “Our expanded partnership combines Google’s frontier AI with Adobe’s industry-leading creative and productivity tools at global scale, enabling us to deliver differentiated experiences and bring Adobe’s innovations to more people across Adobe and Google products.”
Meanwhile, Adobe is bringing its creative tools to Google's AI Mode in Search, potentially allowing users to go straight from searching for inspiration to creating something without opening a separate app.
Adobe is also expanding its integrations with Gemini and Gemini Enterprise, enabling users to enhance images, customise designs and work with PDFs through conversational prompts. For designers churning out multiple versions of campaign assets, for example, that could be a genuine time-saver.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the announcement, though, is what it suggests about Adobe's direction. Rather than expecting creatives to work exclusively within its own apps, it seems Adobe increasingly wants its tools accessible wherever people are already working, such as Google Workspace.
For more announcements from this week, take a look at our main Adobe Max 2026 page.
