Creators use AI throughout everyday projects: to brainstorm, make or refine assets, edit and enhance content, and handle video post-production. The practical pattern is assistance, not autopilot: a tool can speed up a step, but the creator still chooses what fits the project, checks the result, and makes the final creative decisions.
Where AI fits in a creator’s workflow
Adobe’s 2025 Creators’ Toolkit Report found that surveyed creators used generative AI for both making new material and working on existing content. In a survey of more than 16,000 creators across the US, UK, France, Germany, South Korea, Japan, India, and Australia, fielded in September 2025, 55% reported using it for editing, upscaling, or enhancement; 52% for generating new assets such as images and video; and 48% for brainstorming or ideation. The figures are Adobe-published, self-reported survey results, not a ranking of tools or an independent measure of effectiveness. Adobe’s report also found that 60% had used more than one creative generative AI tool in the previous three months.
Brainstorming and planning
A creator can use AI to explore possible angles, generate prompts, or develop starting points for a project. That can help turn a blank page into options to evaluate, but the creator must decide which idea suits the audience, purpose, and their own style. An idea generated by a tool is a draft, not a substitute for editorial judgment.
Generating or refining assets
AI tools can produce new image or video material, or help modify an existing asset. The workflow choice depends on the desired result: whether the output is usable as-is, can be edited to meet the brief, and matches the surrounding work. If the result is inconsistent or difficult to refine, generating another version—or using a non-AI method—may be more practical.
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Editing and enhancement
Creators also report using AI to edit, upscale, or enhance content they already have. This makes AI relevant even when the project does not call for a wholly generated image or video. The creator still needs to inspect the change: enhancement can make a file more useful, but it does not guarantee that details, tone, or visual consistency are right.
How creators use AI in video projects
Video use often shows up in post-production. Adobe Express reported a survey of 384 US video creators, 86% of whom were solo creators, fielded through Prolific from December 1–5, 2025. In that sample, 71% said they had used AI video generation or editing tools. Among those AI video users, 41% said they used the tools weekly. These findings describe this specific US sample, not video creators everywhere. Adobe Express’s survey article reports these common tasks:
- Editing: 58% reported using AI for editing.
- Transitions and effects: 42% reported using AI for these tasks.
- Thumbnails and music selection: 37% reported using AI for each.
These uses can slot into a larger workflow rather than determine the finished video. A creator may use assistance to make an edit or explore effects, then review timing, transitions, music, and thumbnail choices against the story and platform. The survey records reported use; it does not establish that any particular use improves a video’s performance.
Mobile is part of the workflow
Adobe’s September 2025 survey found that 72% of respondents frequently created content on mobile. In that same 2025 survey, 75% expected to create more on mobile over the following year. The latter figure is an expectation recorded in 2025, not a measurement of what creators ultimately did in 2026. For a creator deciding how to work, the finding signals that mobile creation mattered in the surveyed population; it does not show that a phone is required or identify a universally better mobile or desktop workflow.
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What the survey results do—and do not—say
Adobe’s June 2026 report, based on a May 2026 Harris Poll survey of more than 16,000 creators across the same eight countries, found that 75% of surveyed creators who use or have tried creative AI described it as integrated or essential to their work. Adobe defined these creators as people publishing digital content several times a month to inform, entertain, or engage an audience and generate income across digital platforms. The respondents were emerging and professional social-first creators, rather than people employed full-time in traditional creative industries. Adobe’s June 2026 release also reported that 87% of this group said creative AI accelerated business or follower-base growth. That is a self-reported response, not evidence that AI caused growth or that every creator will experience it.
In the same 2026 release, 85% said the final creative decision should remain theirs. Adobe vice president and head of product marketing for creators Mike Polner said: “Adobe’s latest Creators’ Toolkit Report shows creative AI is opening new opportunities for creators and transforming how creative work gets done, but voice, taste and judgment remain what set great creators apart,” This is Adobe’s characterization, not an independent research finding, but it aligns with a practical workflow: use assistance where it helps, then retain control of selection and approval.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choosing where to use AI—and where to stop
There is no universal best tool or workflow established by these surveys. A useful choice depends on the task, the result, and the amount of control the creator needs. Before adopting a tool for a recurring project, consider:
- Task fit: Is the need ideation, asset generation, editing, enhancement, or a video task such as effects or thumbnails?
- Output quality and editability: Can you correct the result and make it consistent with the rest of the project?
- Time and workflow: Does the tool reduce work in this specific step, including the time needed to review and revise its output?
- Cost and limits: Do the price and usage limits make sense for how often you need the feature? The cited surveys do not compare product prices or plans.
- Control and trust: Are you comfortable with how the service handles your material, and can you keep the final decision in your hands?
Reservations are part of the picture. Adobe’s 2025 survey reported that 69% were concerned their content could be used to train AI without permission, 38% cited cost, 34% unreliable output quality, and 28% uncertainty about training data. These are respondent concerns, not legal findings about any particular service. The surveys do not resolve rights for a specific work or tool; creators need to assess the service and circumstances they actually use rather than infer a blanket answer from the figures.
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Keep the creator’s voice in the finished work
A productive way to use AI is to treat generated or edited material as a candidate for review, not a finished decision. Compare it with the brief and the rest of the project, revise anything that feels generic or inaccurate, and keep only what serves the intended audience. The central question is not simply whether AI can perform a task, but whether its contribution is useful after the creator has applied their own taste and judgment.
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