So there was this big shot, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, who was all about how training AI models on India’s various cultural, linguistic, and historical data could lead to some kind of “digital sovereignty.” He was going on about how these fancy models would give companies a leg up in the competitive game. India, he reckoned, was on track to be a leader in ethical AI practices, thanks to its success in mobile infrastructure and digital payments, paving the way for some brand-new business models.
Now, most folks are all hyped up about software engineering when they talk about India’s digital future. But not Narayen. Nope, he sees the next big thing coming from creativity. Speaking at WAVES 2025 in Mumbai, he made it clear that India’s growth wasn’t going to be about code but about imagination, all thanks to AI. To back up his claim, Adobe promised to train a whopping 2 crore Indians and 5 lakh teachers in digital creativity, giving them free access to their tools with the help of some partners.
Narayen wasn’t alone in his thinking. He pointed out that India’s $250-billion IT sector was still chugging along, but AI was changing the game by unlocking creative potential and enabling new ways of expression. According to him, India’s next economic leap wouldn’t be in software code but in creativity. And hey, who am I to argue with the CEO of Adobe?
Training AI models on India’s diverse cultural, linguistic, and historical data could open up all sorts of new possibilities. These special models could be the secret sauce for staying ahead in the competition. Narayen also gave a shoutout to India’s talent and infrastructure in AI, saying that tools like large language models and AI agents could shake things up in the outsourcing industry. These tools would let companies build AI-driven workflows and cook up new kinds of automation.
And let’s not forget about ethical AI practices. India was all set to take the lead there, building on its achievements in mobile infrastructure and digital payments to dream up some fresh business models. Narayen even mentioned how startups could use AI to whip up innovative solutions tailored to local needs. Sounds pretty cool, right?
But wait, there’s more! Narayen talked about the creative boom happening in India, with a whopping 100 million content creators and a 10% annual growth in freelance creators and design studios. Plus, over 500 million Indians were gobbling up content on their mobile phones, thanks to some of the cheapest internet rates in the world.
On the business side of things, Adobe announced a partnership with Tata Consultancy Services to launch the AI-powered Creative Experience Studio (ACES) in India. This studio would help businesses and public sector organizations tap into the power of AI for their creative strategies.
So yeah, Narayen was onto something big. With all this talk about creativity and AI, it looks like India’s digital future is going to be way more exciting than just lines of code. And hey, who knows what kind of cool stuff we’ll see coming out of it? Not really sure why this matters, but hey, it’s worth keeping an eye on.