Adobe VP of global strategic partnerships Shilpa Anand on bringing creative tools to ChatGPT and Claude

ET Digital is on the ground at Adobe MAX 2026 in Miami, where Adobe is expanding its AI partnerships in two directions. The company is bringing more third-party models into apps like Photoshop and Premiere Pro, while making its own creative tools accessible through OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini. We spoke with Shilpa Anand, Adobe’s vice president of global strategic partnerships, about what that means for creators and how the company is approaching India.

Why Adobe wants creators to switch apps less

Anand said Adobe wants people to “create with the minimal amount of friction”. If you’re editing in Premiere Pro and need to generate B-roll, the idea is to call up an AI model without leaving your edit. If you start in a chatbot, an Adobe connector can bring some of the company’s creative tools into that conversation.

Could Adobe bring its Disney approach to India?

Adobe is helping Disney build custom AI models using Disney’s intellectual property. One early use is turning rough sketches into concept art for theme parks. When we asked whether Adobe could do similar work with Indian media companies, Anand said Disney’s scale would help Adobe build the expertise to offer custom models to other customers. Whether the alliance extends to JioHotstar remains unclear.

Why some AI models could take longer to reach India

Anand said Adobe aims to make partner models available globally, with local regulations and the company’s own standards shaping the rollout. “We have really high standards on how we make these models available in different countries,” she said.

Asked what happens to customer information when Adobe calls a third-party model, Anand said “the data belongs to our customers”. She added that Adobe’s contracts require those partners to delete customer data after processing it or otherwise ensure it isn’t retained.