Adobe and Google explore near-real-time AI editing in Photoshop

By Sophie Lindqvist

At Adobe MAX 2026, Adobe and Google DeepMind announced a collaboration on a customized Google image model for near-real-time, text-prompted Photoshop edits, but the companies gave no release date.

What changes in the editing workflow?

Adobe and Google DeepMind are exploring a customized Google image model for Photoshop. The model would let users make near-real-time edits through text prompts and move between variations without interrupting their workflow. Its purpose is to reduce the prompt-and-wait loop associated with generative editing, bringing the exchange closer to direct manipulation with a conventional Photoshop tool.

For designers producing several campaign versions, the practical benefit would be less time spent waiting for each response and less disruption while comparing alternatives. The announcement does not quantify that gain, test it against a current generative workflow or specify how Photoshop will present the variations.

The project remains firmly exploratory. Adobe provided no release date, latency target, benchmark, supported version list or evaluation method for the image model. “Near-real-time” therefore describes a proposed interaction, not a published performance specification.

Anil Chakravarthy, president and incoming CEO of Adobe, said: “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.”

He added: “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.”

Together, the announcements position Adobe as the creative-tool layer and Google as the provider of AI models and search surfaces. Their stated goal is to extend Adobe experiences across both companies’ products, with broader access at global scale.

Where else will the creative tools appear?

Adobe also plans to place its creative tools in Google’s AI Mode in Search. The proposed path lets a user move from a search for visual inspiration to a creation task without opening a separate app. The announcement does not specify which Adobe tools will appear in the search interface or when the path will become available.

Adobe is also expanding integrations with Gemini and Gemini Enterprise. The announced capabilities are:

• Enhance images.
• Customize designs.
• Work with PDFs.

The exchanges operate through conversational prompts. For designers producing multiple versions of campaign assets, this arrangement could consolidate several recurring edits into one conversational workflow. The announcement identifies a potential time-saving benefit but provides no time-saving figure.

What does the partnership signal about Adobe?

The partnership suggests Adobe increasingly wants its creative tools available wherever people work, including Google Workspace. It extends the company’s reach beyond its own applications and treats search and conversational interfaces as possible entry points to creative work.

Google supplies the AI models, while Adobe contributes image, design and PDF tools. In the announced arrangement, a person can begin with visual inspiration in Search and continue into creation, then perform further adjustments through Gemini or Gemini Enterprise.

Adobe and Google did not disclose the exact interface, file handoff, output format, pricing, rollout schedule or performance measures. Without those details, professionals cannot judge the workflow’s fit for production. The next milestone to watch is a documented workflow with stated latency, consistency and availability, turning near-real-time editing from a product direction into a usable specification.