Shantanu Narayen: AI Edge Won’t Come From Models Alone

At the India AI Impact Summit, Shantanu Narayen, Chair and CEO of Adobe, urged India to take a leadership role in defining what artificial intelligence models should mean for the country and in shaping frameworks around data, privacy, security and trust. In a fireside chat with Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, Narayen said companies like Adobe, which help produce much of the world’s digital content, must actively lead efforts to strengthen content authenticity initiatives.

Adobe Unveils AI-First Education Push to Power Create in India Vision

Backing the government’s Create in India vision and the Union Budget 2026 proposal to generate two million jobs in Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics by 2030, Adobe announced an AI-first education initiative. The company will provide an industry-endorsed curriculum free of cost to 15,000 schools and 500 colleges setting up Content Creator Labs, and will give students complimentary access to tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Firefly.

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Shantanu Narayen said Adobe is expanding creative opportunities for millions of students across India by equipping them with AI skills and supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a digitally empowered nation. He affirmed that Adobe will remain a key partner in advancing the Government of India’s AI-led push across creativity, human capital, and trust and safety. The company said its new initiative will equip students with tools that build creativity, productivity and AI-driven capabilities, helping them tap opportunities in high-growth sectors such as graphic design, video and visual effects, animation, gaming, marketing, media and e-commerce.

AI Access Expanded, Open Model Debate Raised

Adobe added that it will offer free access to Adobe Firefly, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat to students at accredited higher education institutions across India, with further details expected soon. Responding to concerns about whether leading AI firms seek to tightly control commercial use to protect revenues and market share, Narayen described the tension between proprietary models and open ecosystems as inevitable.

He stressed that Adobe has consistently backed open standards, citing the widespread adoption of PDF as a result of that approach. However, he argued that companies cannot rely solely on AI models for long-term advantage and must instead differentiate themselves through real-world use cases. Narayen added that India stands well placed to lead in this shift, pointing to the country’s culture of frugal innovation and “jugaad” as a competitive strength that has helped Indian enterprises succeed globally.

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