IBM expands Adobe partnership to accelerate content supply chains with generative AI

IBM and Adobe are joining forces to enhance content supply chains using AI technology. IBM announced that it will expand its existing collaboration with Adobe to leverage Adobe Sensei GenAI services and Adobe Firefly, a suite of creative generative AI models (currently in beta). Additionally, IBM Consulting will introduce a new range of Adobe consulting services to assist clients in navigating the complex generative AI landscape.

IBM said that this collaborative effort will specifically concentrate on helping clients create personalized customer experiences, develop rich customer personas, and design customized journeys through generative AI.

“To effectively leverage these enhanced capabilities, embedding the required process steps within Adobe’s Workfront technologies will deliver the collaboration and speed desired while ensuring visibility, governance, and brand integrity,” Matt Candy, global managing partner, IBM iX customer and experience transformation at IBM Consulting, told VentureBeat.

IBM says that brands will now be able to launch campaigns, experiences and products faster and with more confidence and precision, maximizing their impact on the business.

The companies have set their sights on establishing an integrated content supply chain ecosystem that enhances efficiency, automates tasks and improves visibility for stakeholders involved in design and creative projects. They will harness Adobe’s AI-accelerated Content Supply Chain solution and IBM’s consulting services to achieve this goal.

Under this expanded partnership, Adobe’s enterprise customers will gain access to IBM Consulting’s team of experts, consisting of 21,000 experienced data and AI consultants. These experts will assist clients implement generative AI models into the design and creative process.

“Our global experts are certified in Adobe technologies [and] deeply understand Adobe’s tools to help our clients maximize the technology and workflows while also helping to ensure [that] transparency and explainability are embedded into their creative process,” IBM’s Candy told VentureBeat. “We will also help integrate Adobe’s AI-accelerated Content Supply Chain solution with our clients’ proprietary customer data, brand guidelines and IP, so organizations don’t have to worry if they are using the right content and [whether] it is consistent with the brand.”

The services provided will include the use of Firefly, initially focused on generating images and text effects, and Sensei GenAI services, which function as a copilot for marketers embedded in Adobe’s enterprise applications.

Streamlining content workflows through generative AI 

IBM said that its expanded partnership with Adobe aims to capitalize on the growing momentum in AI adoption, enabling brands to create highly personalized customer experiences that drive growth and productivity. With a focus on trust, transparency and brand consistency, the company said that the partnership seeks to redefine the possibilities of AI-powered experiences while elevating business decisions.

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IBM’s Candy stated that IBM Consulting is collaborating closely with Adobe clients to assist them in preparing their internal data sources and structures. Additionally, they are helping clients identify suitable use cases, estimate the impact on value, and evaluate and recommend technologies to adopt.

“We are assisting our clients in training and customizing foundational models (FMs) and LLMs using both company and customer datasets,” he said. “We prioritize establishing guardrails to address bias and maintain a brand voice.”

Candy emphasized that IBM’s consultants have the expertise to use the complete generative AI technology stack, encompassing foundation models and over 50 domain-specific classical machine learning accelerators. This comprehensive range of tools enables them to expedite progress for clients.

“We use our unique IBM Garage method to co-create with clients and work together to build their ideas and bring them to enterprise scale,” he explained. “For example, we work with clients to develop prioritized AI use cases, define the technology roadmap, assets and tools to support those use cases, and develop the human-centric design and operating model needed to bring the use cases up to enterprise scale.”

IBM’s long-term vision for AI

IBM stated that its marketing transformation journey had laid the foundation for introducing these new services. The company has actively supported Adobe in enhancing its marketing team’s work management as part of its collaboration.

The expanded collaboration is built upon a strategic partnership of 20 years, which has encompassed technology and services. Notably, Adobe embraced Red Hat OpenShift, IBM AI and Sterling software as a result of this partnership.

The company highlighted that through its global client engagements, it has witnessed a shift in business approach from “plus AI” to “AI-first.” This transition signifies that AI is now deeply integrated into enterprises’ core operations.

IBM said it is actively reimagining work processes and fundamentally transforming tasks by leveraging AI technologies such as foundation models and generative AI.

“We’re helping clients around the globe and in every industry to embed AI in the ‘heartbeat’ processes of the enterprise,” said Candy. “Our experience tells us that getting to value for AI in business takes a deep understanding of the complexities involved in an enterprise and a human-centered, principled approach to using AI — and that won’t change anytime soon.”

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