Over the past year, Adobe has methodically integrated generative AI into its flagship products, including the behemoth Photoshop and the versatile Adobe Express. These enhancements are tailored specifically to professionals’ creative workflows, enabling unprecedented customization and efficiency in content creation.

David, a spokesperson for Adobe, emphasized the breadth of these integrations in a recent discussion. “The introduction of imaging, vector, and design AI models has revolutionized how our creative cloud applications enhance productivity,” he noted. This suite of tools allows creative professionals to rapidly produce high-quality content tailored to specific project requirements quickly, thereby reducing turnaround times and increasing market responsiveness.

One of the most significant advancements is the integration of AI within Photoshop. This has enabled users to manipulate and create complex images easily, leveraging AI to automate tedious parts of the creative process. For designers, this means less time on routine tasks and more on creative exploration, pushing the boundaries of digital artistry.

Furthermore, Adobe is pioneering in managing and utilizing data for AI training. Unlike some competitors who may rely on synthetic data or unlicensed content, Adobe has built its AI models on an extensive library of proprietary images and assets. This ethical approach ensures compliance with intellectual property laws and positions Adobe as a leader in responsible AI development.

“We adhere strictly to a framework we call ART—accountability, responsibility, and transparency,” David explained. This rigorous process ensures that every AI model Adobe ships have undergone thorough evaluation and moderation, guaranteeing that the content generated is legally compliant and of the highest quality.

Looking ahead, Adobe is set to unveil groundbreaking text-to-video capabilities, further enhancing its creative software ecosystem. This new feature promises to translate written descriptions into rich, detailed video content, a boon for advertising, film, and media professionals. Additionally, Adobe’s collaboration with third-party AI innovators like Sora, Runway, and PCA is poised to broaden the creative possibilities available to users, ensuring Adobe’s tools remain at the cutting edge of technology.

These advancements signify a major leap forward for designers who rely on Adobe’s comprehensive suite of tools. The integration of generative AI streamlines workflow and enriches the creative process, allowing designers to achieve more with less effort. Moreover, Adobe’s commitment to ethical AI use provides reassurance in an era where data privacy and copyright issues are paramount.

As Adobe continues to innovate and integrate AI across its product line, design professionals can look forward to even more powerful tools that facilitate creativity and efficiency. The future of design is here, and Adobe is writing its first drafts with the intelligent brushstrokes of generative AI.

Sora’s Capabilities within Premiere Pro

Sora by OpenAI is designed to generate contextually relevant B-roll and transition footage through simple text prompts. This integration allows editors to input descriptive text, and Sora intelligently produces high-quality video clips that can be seamlessly added to projects. It streamlines the editing process and significantly reduces the time spent on sourcing and creating supplementary content.

Adobe’s Firefly and New AI Features

Alongside the integration of Sora, Adobe is also rolling out its own proprietary AI, dubbed Firefly. This model will power several new features within Premiere Pro, including Object Add/Remove and Generative Extend. These features are tailored to enhance productivity by automating complex editing tasks:

• Object Addition and Removal: Editors can now add or eliminate objects from video frames using intuitive text prompts powered by Adobe Firefly. This facilitates dynamic content creation and simplifies previously cumbersome editing tasks.
• Generative Extend: This feature intelligently extends clips where additional frames are needed, preserving the continuity and flow of the video without manual intervention.

Transparency and Ethical Considerations

With great power comes great responsibility. Adobe emphasizes transparency in using AI with its new Content Credentials feature. This tool will track and display whether AI was utilized in creating media, detailing the specific AI models employed. This initiative reflects Adobe’s commitment to responsible AI use, ensuring that creators are fully informed and copyright standards are respected.

Collaborations and Compatibility

Expanding beyond its technologies, Adobe is exploring potential integrations with various third-party AI models. These collaborations, including with industry leaders like Runway and Pika, aim to diversify the AI tools available within Premiere Pro, allowing editors to choose the best model for their needs.

Anticipated Impact and Industry Reception

The integration of OpenAI’s Sora and Adobe’s Firefly into Premiere Pro is anticipated to enhance video editors’ capabilities and set a new standard for AI in creative applications. By automating routine tasks and simplifying complex processes, Adobe is poised to free creative professionals to focus on storytelling and artistic expression.

As this technology evolves and becomes more integrated into professional workflows, the video editing community awaits its release with high expectations. Adobe’s initiative to blend AI with human creativity could potentially usher in a new era of video production characterized by efficiency, innovation, and enhanced artistic freedom.

The investigation unearthed that contrary to Adobe’s initial disclosures, Firefly was trained, in part, on AI-generated images. Some of these images were sourced from MidJourney, another AI tool known for its potent image-generating capabilities.

“This wasn’t a trivial oversight; it was a clear decision,” Metz explained. “The use of AI-generated images, although not forming a massive chunk of the data set, was significant enough to raise questions about the transparency and ethical grounding of Adobe’s process.”

Adobe has often positioned Firefly as distinct from competitors, touting it as the “ethical version” of AI, emphasizing respect for intellectual property rights—an assurance meant to comfort users and creators wary of the IP controversies swirling around rival AI technologies.

Yet, this revelation could complicate Adobe’s narrative. As evidenced in company-managed Discord groups, internal discussions within Adobe showed that including these images was a known and intentional part of the training strategy. “Adobe was totally aware of what it was doing,” Metz added, noting that the company even awarded bonuses in September to contributors whose images were used to refine Firefly—including those who supplied AI-generated content via Adobe Stock.

The potential IP ramifications are significant. With AI-generated images forming part of Firefly’s training dataset, questions about the originality and ownership of Firefly’s output are brought to the fore. This could affect how the tool is perceived among professionals who rely heavily on copyright protection to safeguard their creative investments.

In response to inquiries, Adobe acknowledged using synthetic images, justifying it to enhance the model’s effectiveness. However, the company assured that all contributors, including those whose AI-generated photos were used, had been compensated.

The broader implications for the AI industry are profound. As AI tools increasingly infiltrate creative spaces, the lines between human-generated and machine-generated content blur, making it imperative for companies like Adobe to navigate these issues with greater transparency and adherence to their ethical standards.

This case highlights the challenges of developing AI in adherence to ethical standards and the importance of maintaining transparency with users and contributors who continue to shape the evolving landscape of digital art and technology.

Affinity made a name for itself as a professional, cost-effective alternative to Adobe. Canva is a popular online design platform that has been expanding and acquiring other companies in an effort to bolster the services it provides, including Pixabay and Pexels in 2019.

With the Affinity acquisition, Canva will have everything it needs to deliver an all-in-one platform, giving users both online and native applications.

“Visual communication is now ubiquitous in the workplace and investing in strategies that enhance our B2B offerings is core to the future of our business,” said Canva co-founder and COO, Cliff Obrecht. “From sales and marketing, to brand and creative teams, the need to create effective and engaging visual content is on the rise. The Affinity team comes with an incredible caliber of talent and technology and we’re delighted to welcome them to Canva as we enter our next phase together.”

Canva is already used by more than 175 million people, and the addition of Affinity will help it expand into the professional market.

“Since the inception of Affinity, our mission has been to empower creatives with tools that unleash their full potential, fostering a community where innovation and artistry flourish,” said Ashley Hewson, CEO of Affinity. “We’ve worked tirelessly to challenge the status quo, delivering professional-grade creative software that is both accessible and affordable. Canva’s commitment to empowering everyone to create aligns perfectly with those values. We couldn’t be more excited about becoming part of the Canva family and can’t wait to see what we will achieve together.”

Many designers already prefer Affinity to Adobe’s more expensive offerings. Combining the two platforms could help Canva compete directly with Adobe, giving users a powerful alternative to the status quo.

Official details of the deal were not disclosed, although Obrecht told Bloomberg it was worth “several hundred million pounds.”

Here are five innovative ways in which creatives can harness AI to elevate their craft:

1. Idea Generation: AI offers a solution for those struggling with creative blocks. By leveraging tools like ChatGPT, creatives can input prompts tailored to their needs and receive a stream of fresh ideas in minutes. Whether brainstorming concepts for a new project or crafting captivating social media content, AI is a valuable resource to kickstart the creative process.
2. Product Ideation: Monetizing creative endeavors can be daunting, but AI can provide valuable insights for creators seeking passive income opportunities. Through platforms like ChatGPT, creators can generate product ideas tailored to their niche, paving the way for new revenue streams and business ventures.
3. Video Editing: Crafting polished video content often requires meticulous editing, but AI-powered tools like VEED.IO streamline the process. By automating tasks such as removing pauses and breaks in recordings, creatives can easily enhance the quality and professionalism of their videos, regardless of their experience level.
4. Photo Editing: AI extends its capabilities to photo editing, offering solutions for common challenges photographers and visual artists face. Tools like DALL-E 2 enable users to seamlessly remove unwanted elements from images, saving time and effort while maintaining visual integrity.
5. Content Creation: Managing creative tasks and content creation can be overwhelming, but AI-powered tools like Microsoft Designer provide valuable assistance. By generating content ideas and captions and even designing professional-grade social media posts, AI empowers creators to streamline their workflow and focus on producing high-quality content.

By embracing AI tools, creatives can tap into a wealth of resources to enhance their craft and stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly competitive landscape. With the power of AI at their fingertips, artists and content creators can unleash their creativity, explore new possibilities, and confidently achieve their goals.

As Kim Alban aptly demonstrates, the fusion of creativity and technology holds boundless potential for innovation and artistic expression:

Dave Gerhardt, VP of Marketing at Drift, was recently interviewed on the B2B Growth podcast by John Rougeux who is VP of Marketing at Skyfii. Gerhardt discusses conversational marketing as a new B2B product category and how it is changing marketing from reaching out to you later to a conversation that is happening now:

Conversational Marketing is About Connecting You Now

Conversational marketing is a whole new way of thinking about marketing and sales. The traditional way of doing marketing and sales is all about later. Come to my website and fill out this form and somebody is going to reach out to you later, when it’s convenient for them. The big shift that is happening in marketing and business over the last five to ten years is customers have all the power today. You can’t make people wait. Information is free now.

I can find anything I want to know about a company without ever having to go to your website. It’s crazy to think that you are going to force people to go to your website, fill out a form, wait three days to hear back from your sales team, and then get a demo. Conversational is all about connecting you now with the people who are ready to buy now while they are live on your website.

B2P – Marketing to People

It’s not about buyers. It’s not about sellers. It’s not about sales. It’s not about marketing. It’s about people. That’s how people all communicate online today. I pressed one button in my car and I got a list. I ordered something from Amazon while I was here this morning to send back to my house and it’s going to be there tomorrow when I get home. There are countless examples of that. That is how we all behave online in our real lives today.

But then something happens weird happens. We go to our jobs in B2B and none of the tools that we use match how we actually buy as real people. That’s the most exciting thing to me about conversational marketing. It’s really closing the gap between B2C and B2B. We just call it B2P, marketing to people.

What Ties Our Products Together is Conversation

We have an email product and we have a landing page product. Black and white versions of those people would say everybody has email, everybody has landing pages. The thing that ties those together is conversation. That forces us to think about what is conversational email? What is conversational landing pages? What is conversational whatever? That one word forces our product team to think about how can we change this? If our fundamental stance as a company is that the internet should be one conversation, then how does that weave into everything that we build?

Ultimately what we care about is that email becomes a conversation. Meaning, the way that marketers have had to use email the last decade is a one-way channel. Email is meant to be a two-way channel. Marketers have been using it as, “John come to my webinar.” What happens if you actually respond to that email? Most of the time you can’t because it’s donotreply@ or it just goes to some inbox where nobody is answering it. That is a terrible experience. Our belief is that if you reply, “Hey actually I can’t make it. Can you reregister my colleague?” That should get handled. We are thinking of that from an evolution standpoint.

The same thing with landing pages. Most landing pages today are static. You go to the landing page, put a bunch of info in and you are gone. What if that was a real-time conversation on the page? That one topic has to weave itself into everything we do from a product perspective.

>> Listen to the complete interview with Drift Marketing VP Dave Gerhardt on the B2B Growth podcast.

Fubo is one of the leading streaming TV platforms, with an emphasis on sports programming. Sormaz worked at Spotify for ten years as Director and then VP of Design. He has also had stints at News Corporation, Boxee, and, most recently Sorare.

Sormaz will help Fubo continue to develop its user experience, including leveraging the company’s proprietary AI to make the platform more interactive.

“Dan is not only the best design leader in media that I know, he is also a great product strategist,” said Berkely. “I partnered closely with Dan at Spotify for several years and am so thrilled for him to lead our design team at Fubo. With the proliferation of so many streaming apps, the TV industry has become very fragmented and is not aligned with consumer needs. We believe Fubo’s aggregated content model solves this issue and, with Dan guiding us on delivering an intuitive and useful user experience, we are confident that we can evolve how consumers watch television.”

“Fubo really hits the sweet spot for me – I am so passionate about streaming, having spent more than a decade in that world across music, podcasts and video/TV, and I am a huge sports fan,” said Sormaz. “User experiences for streaming services reflect the ever-changing world around them. With an evolving content landscape, shifting consumer behaviors and emerging new technology, I believe we’re entering an exciting new era for TV streaming UX. I am looking forward to reuniting with Mike and working with the fantastic Fubo team to build what’s next for TV.”

Whether you’re creating a new app or revamping an existing one, the right strategies will prevent your effort from landing in product design hell. The following tips will help you create a beautiful, streamlined deliverable that will keep your customers coming back for more.

1. Create a Design System

Every design team should have a design system: a collection of reusable components that help create a consistent experience across one or more products. A design system consists of colors, fonts, buttons, and other visual elements that will be used repeatedly within each product the team creates. The system should also include clear instructions, including:

• Guidelines for placement of all visual elements
• Design patterns for different interfaces (Android, iPhone, desktop, etc.)
• Documentation about how each component in the system works
• Tools and resources for developers
• Company values and accessibility standards to uphold throughout the design process

One example is the Uber design system, which lets the company offer multiple well-differentiated apps that are yet unmistakably part of the Uber brand. By using a strong design system, companies can ensure every page of every app remains consistent with their brand. Still, different products in a company’s suite can have small, unique elements that make them clearly distinguishable.

2. Make Everything Easy

Great product design is all about simplicity. Don’t put anything on the screen that doesn’t need to be there, and make icons familiar and navigation predictable. Offer multiple easy ways to get to a desired screen. Avoid giving a user more than one to two tasks to execute per page of the product. Or if that’s not possible, use progressive disclosure to avoid overwhelming them.

Younger generations tend to operate their mobile devices with two thumbs, while older ones are apt to use a single index finger. Avoid interactive elements that require users of any demographic to adopt input methods they find cumbersome. Save your customers’ information across all apps, so they never have to reenter their details. People generally scan, not read, so keep text brief and well-positioned on the screen.

3. Evolve Your Look Gradually

If your company has multiple products in a suite, they should look different but not too different. You can achieve this balance by integrating small, gradual changes in your next product. Try adding or replacing just one color in your color scheme, or incorporate a different photo aspect ratio. Don’t scrap basics like the layout of your menus or navigation buttons. 

Think about how you can naturally evolve and differentiate each new product without abandoning any core design elements. Reuse interactive experiences that make sense across different applications (e.g., if your rideshare app has a location tracker, your package delivery app should, too). If you’re rebranding, be wary of any change that feels too extreme.

4. Prioritize Accessibility and Diversity

Whenever possible, create and iterate with inclusivity at the forefront. Caption audio for Deaf and hard-of-hearing folks and set up your product to interact seamlessly with screen readers. Make text and images magnifiable and use alt-text for photos. Select images with diversity in mind. Don’t ask anyone to input their gender unless it’s necessary, and offer a good selection of options or a write-in box.

Consider smaller-seeming details as well: Use fonts and colors that are legible to people with color-blindness or dyslexia. Offer text and audio in multiple languages and keep language direct for nonnative speakers. Choose words that are appropriate and inclusive. Make as many elements of your product functional offline to account for users with poor connectivity and provide a faster experience in general.

5. Consider Your User, Then Delight Them

Throughout the product design process, keep your target user in mind. When budgets get lean, user research is often the first thing to go. But it’s also the only way to really understand your audience. Make sure you incorporate qualitative interviewing and usability testing at all stages to reduce friction wherever possible.

Then, go above and beyond. Think of ways not just to meet customers’ wants and needs, but to offer them unexpected moments of joy. Animated elements work well and can range from simple loading screen graphics to soothing videos of tropical rainstorms or ocean waves. Also consider clever push notifications (but not too many), friendly avatars, and other ways to gamify mundane product experiences. However, never let these add-ons interfere with speed or functionality.

Always Bring It Back to the Basics and Your Brand

There are a million factors to consider when designing your next winning product. Every shade of green, every click, and every comma of copy matters. When you’re working cross-functionally with multiple teams, it’s easy to lose sight of little things that make or break a user experience. That’s why, at every stage of the product design process, it’s important to keep going back to these fundamental principles. 

No matter what design choices you make, remember your goal is to solve a problem. Good design means sticking to that end goal without creating new sources of friction. Never forget that every decision your team makes should move the brand closer to its core mission and values. At the end of the day, delivering a great product isn’t just about look and feel. It’s about the heart and soul of your brand and all the reasons your customers keep choosing you.

Jony Ive worked closely with Steve Jobs and is largely responsible for virtually all of the classic Apple designs that helped save the company after Jobs’ return. Ive remained at the company after Jobs death, continuing to be the driving force behind the company’s designs until he departed in 2019to focus on his design startup LoveFrom.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Tan is going LoveFrom to work on the AI hardware project being developed by Ive and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. Altman evidently will be responsible for the software behind the device, with Ive and company handling the hardware design.

Given that Tan joined Apple a decade ago, squarely in the midst of the Ive era, his departure will no doubt be a loss to the iPhone maker.

Figma provides web-based tools that compete with Adobe’s product line at a fraction of the price. Adobe announced in September 2022 that it had reached a deal to purchase Figma for $20 billion. The move was immediately decried by designers and critics as a way for Adobe to kill off a competitor. Regulators in the EU and UK have been investigating the deal to see if it will harm competition.

After reviewing the proposed acquisition, the CMA has issued a preliminary report, finding that the deal would harm the design sector.

Adobe and Figma are two of the world leading providers of software for app and web designers and our investigation so far has found that they are close competitors.

This proposed deal, therefore, has the potential to impact the UK’s digital design industry by reducing choice, innovation and the development of new competitive products.

Today’s decision is provisional, and we will now consult on our findings and listen to any further views before reaching a final decision.

The CMA found that Figma’s existence and competition was fueling innovation at Adobe, innovation that would likely stop post-acquisition:

The inquiry group has also provisionally found that Figma is a credible future competitor to Adobe in image editing and illustration software – and that the threat posed by Figma has driven product development in Adobe’s Photoshop and Illustrator applications, including new web versions. The inquiry group considers that if the deal went ahead, it would eliminate Figma as a competitor which would otherwise have continued to seek to develop its capabilities in image editing and illustration, thereby fuelling innovation and product development by Adobe. This competition would be lost as a result of the transaction, harming designers and creative agencies who might have used these new tools or relied on future updates.

The regulator will make a final decision by February 25, 2024. In the meantime, concerned parties can provide feedback from now till December 19, 2023. The CMA is reserving the right to take whatever action it deems necessary, including blocking the deal entirely.

Remote web designers are among those who have benefitted the most from the substantial increase in the distributed workforce. Typically, these professionals can do their work anywhere with a stable internet connection. They have essential expertise in today’s highly digitized and internet-driven world, using their skills to create or improve a website’s layout, usability and overall appearance. 

Suppose you own or manage a small business or you’re in the design or marketing fields. You’ll likely encounter numerous situations where hiring web designers could help you strategically grow your business by meeting new or pressing needs.

One of the great things about hiring web designers who work remotely is that you greatly expand the potential hiring pool. Here are some top tips to apply if you’re considering this approach. 

Write Sufficiently Detailed Job Descriptions

It’s always wise to provide plenty of specifics in your job descriptions. However, that’s particularly essential when appealing to remote candidates — including those in other time zones or countries. They can’t necessarily pick up the phone for quick clarifications on questions that arise. 

That’s why you must put yourself in their position and think about what they’d most likely want or need to know. Start with the basics you’d tell anyone thinking about applying, such as: 

• Minimum education level or years of experience
• Tools or programs the applicant should know well
• Desired hard and soft skills 
• Salary range
• A brief description of benefits  
• A blurb about the company’s values
• The job’s closing date

Additionally, add content about remote working requirements and the overall experience, including: 

• Work completion time frames
• Language requirements 
• Minimum internet speed 
• Equipment provisions
• Tax specifics 
• Travel needs 

Diving Into the Particulars

Perhaps you’re fairly flexible about when remote web designers do their tasks, as long as at least half their workdays occur between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern time. You might also require applicants to be fluent English speakers and prefer they know at least one other language at an advanced level. 

If you worry about web designers completing assignments on outdated computers or slow connections, one of the best workarounds is to provide their equipment as a remote working benefit. Remote workers will also need to know whether the job will require any travel, and, if so, how often. Many people require visas before traveling, and some may need updated passports before confirming to your company that they’re ready to travel when required. 

Finally, clarify whether remote workers have specific tax responsibilities. If you’re hiring them as independent contractors, their countries of residence will likely require them to calculate taxes to pay to the relevant revenue authorities. But, if they’re employees, the amounts will be taken out of every paycheck. 

The clearer you are with the information, the better the chance people will apply with confidence and little or no confusion. It’s also useful to mention if unsuccessful applicants will get added to a database and considered for future opportunities. If you take that route, be upfront about it and make sure to comply with all relevant data retention and usage laws. 

Plan and Arrange Interviews and Pre-Hire Tests

As more companies hire remote web designers and other employees who can work from anywhere, decision-makers realize they can expand beyond interviews and screening practices. Although in-person interviews may happen in some cases, you may decide to stick to Zoom, phone calls and other methods that don’t require an applicant to be in the same room as you.

You might also ask people to show evidence of their skills by doing test projects you assign them. That’s a common and beneficial strategy when engaging with candidates who have already gone through multiple interview rounds. 

When determining when to hold interviews, keep potential time differences in mind. Some scheduling tools allow candidates to see available slots in their time zones, eliminating misunderstandings.

Steer clear of unintentionally ageist practices as you think about each interview or screening phase. For example, some people stereotype older workers as less tech-savvy. However, that’s not necessarily true. Indeed, these people typically didn’t grow up with technology the same way younger generations have. But many have taken it upon themselves to learn new skills and keep up with changes. Similarly, they’re often eager to learn and prove themselves, even if that means going outside their comfort zones. 

While describing each interview phase to successful candidates, be sufficiently descriptive to set expectations. For example, you might say, “You’ll meet with two senior team leads and the chief technology officer during this interview, which will last approximately 90 minutes. We’ll then send an assessment test by email that you must return to within 48 hours.” That way, everyone is on the same page with the proper information. 

Prioritize Continual Development 

A potential downside of bringing remote web designers on board is that you’re not necessarily interacting with them every day. That could mean you’re less informed about a remote worker’s career progress and aspirations. Fortunately, practical solutions exist. 

Introduce all your company’s professional development opportunities during the hiring phase. Emphasize to candidates that leaders are serious about making the workforce well-equipped to tackle current and existing needs. While explaining the company’s perks to someone in a late-stage interview, you might mention how each worker gets a yearly education budget to develop skills related to their work. Perhaps continual development means giving workers access to libraries of online courses and audiobooks or paying for their conference tickets.

Sometimes, an organization’s push for ongoing education happens after a downturn. Consider how LEGO cut 8% of its workforce due to sales declines. Part of the subsequent workforce rejuvenation effort involved polling all employees to learn which characteristics leaders possessed. Bravery, curiosity and focus were some of the leading aspects. Company decision-makers used those takeaways for inspiration when building an open-source leadership playground. That resource attracted 800 workers who wanted to develop their leadership skills. 

Even when remote web designers love their work arrangements, some may occasionally feel isolated from their colleagues. That reality can be especially hard for new hires who might experience early challenges fitting in and getting to know people. That’s why many companies host retreats for remote teams. Those getaways help attendees form bonds in new, exciting environments. They’re fun, with a heavy dose of professional development. 

Showing candidates that continuing development is a foundational aspect of your company is a great way to encourage them to stay accountable and pursue ongoing growth. This approach also sets your organization apart in a competitive market.

Are You Ready to Hire Remote Web Designers

Finding the best-qualified remote web designers isn’t easy, but expanding your candidate pool to accommodate remote workers is an excellent way to remove many barriers. Follow the tips above to move through all phases of recruitment without hassle.

AI models use massive amounts of data and images as part of their learning process. This has sparked heated debate on the ethics and legality of using copyrighted material and artists’ work without permission or compensation.

Numerous companies and organizations are working on a solution, but MIT Technology Review reports that Ben Zhao, a professor at the University of Chicago, led a team that created a new tool: Nightshade. This is the same team that created Glaze, a masking tool that hides an artists’ unique style from AI models.

According to the outlet, Nightshade works in a similar manner, altering pixels in a way that makes AI models believe the picture is something completely different from what it really is, all while being imperceptible to the naked eye.

MIT says Zhao’s team will integrate the two tools:

The team intends to integrate Nightshade into Glaze, and artists can choose whether they want to use the data-poisoning tool or not. The team is also making Nightshade open source, which would allow others to tinker with it and make their own versions. The more people use it and make their own versions of it, the more powerful the tool becomes, Zhao says. The data sets for large AI models can consist of billions of images, so the more poisoned images can be scraped into the model, the more damage the technique will cause.

Artists seem eager to use Nightshade to protect their work.

“It is going to make [AI companies] think twice, because they have the possibility of destroying their entire model by taking our work without our consent,” said illustrator and artist Eva Toorenent.

Video editing is far more difficult than standard image editing, but Adobe believes generative AI is the key. The company unveiled its Project Fast Fill at its Adobe MAX creative conference:

Project Fast Fill brings the power of Firefly generative AI to video for the first time. Leveraging Generative Fill technology – which Adobe Photoshop already uses to ease the addition, removal, or expansion of content in images with simple Firefly-powered text prompts – Project Fast Fill offers an early look at what human-prompted generative AI could enable inside Adobe video editing tools including Premiere Pro and After Effects.

“Adobe Sneaks are a can’t-miss, fan-favorite moment at MAX every year, and for good reason – nothing is more inspiring than brilliant employees demonstrating cutting-edge technologies that might power future Adobe products,” said Gavin Miller, vice president and fellow of Adobe Research. “Our passion for creators is at the heart of each Sneak, and this year’s showcase highlights exciting new ways generative AI and 3D technologies can supercharge creative expression, reimagining what Adobe tools make possible.”

Adobe says users have already generated more than 3 billion images with its Firefly image generator. The new version, Firefly Image 2, is designed to improve on the original with more realistic image generation.

Firefly Image 2 generates higher-quality images and illustrations, enhances human rendering quality with improvements to skin, hair, eyes, hands and body structure, offers better colors and improved dynamic range and provides users greater ability to control output – ultimately helping produce creative visions faster. Like the initial Firefly model, Firefly Image 2 is trained on licensed content, such as Adobe Stock, and public domain content where the copyright has expired. It supports text prompts in over 100 languages, along with new paid plans that include an allocation of “fast” Generative Credits.

The company says it is rapidly improving Firefly, providing users with commercially viable option.

“Our rapid, continuous pace of Firefly innovation continues with imaging, design and vector generation advancements – three new models that set new industry standards for output quality and user control,” said Ely Greenfield, chief technology officer, Digital Media at Adobe. “Firefly continues to offer the world’s best combination of visual capabilities, designed to be commercially safe, enables transformative new creative workflows across Adobe apps.”

Ive gained fame as Apple’s lead hardware designer, working closely with Steve Jobs and designing virtually all of the company’s hit products until his departure in late 2019. Ive left Apple to start his own design firm, LoveForm.

According to The Information, via TechCrunch, Ive is in talks with OpenAI to collaborate on a hardware project. Very little else is known about the potential venture, although SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son is reportedly involved as well.

Given Ive’s penchant for designing products that appeal to a wide range of people, his involvement in an OpenAI hardware project could be pivotal to helping AI see wider adoption.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment of software developers is projected to grow 22 percent from 2019 to 2029, significantly faster than the average for all occupations. This shows how popular the field is going to continue to be.

Whether you want to learn to code on your own, or to study a computer science degree at university, there are plenty of paths to becoming a software developer. This article aims to explore them as well as the skills you will need and the salary you may earn.

What Can I Study At Uni To Become A Software Developer?

Many people who want to become software developers choose to study computer science at university. This degree typically lasts for 3 years and covers a wide range of topics including but not limited to:

• Programming
• Algorithms
• Data structures
• Computer systems
• Virtual private networks 

It also allows students to specialise in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, or software engineering.

One of the huge advantages of studying at university is the opportunity to access a wide range of resources and opportunities. You will work on projects with other students, get access to the latest research, and bounce your ideas off industry experts. 

Your degree will also give you the chance to get internships or work placements, which can help you to gain the real-world experience you need to thrive in your career. It will also help you to make contacts in your industry and potentially also help you to land your first job.

Do I Need To Go To Uni To Become A Software Developer?

No! If you would rather not study at university, or if you are already working in a different field, you can still become a software developer. You can take advantage of the wealth of information available on the internet for free, including:

• Coding bootcamps 
• Online courses 
• Ebooks
• Video tutorials

These resources can help you to gain all the skills you need to get started. Some of these resources even offer job placement services upon completion. Software tutorials can be quite helpful.

One huge advantage of this approach is that it is far cheaper than studying at university, and avoids you falling into debt. You are able to learn at your own pace and focus on gaining the skills you need for your career.

The downside is that it can be significantly harder to get your foot in the door without a degree. Although you will be able to gain all the relevant skills without a degree, you may be in a position where you have to work harder to prove your skills and experience to your potential employers. 

What Skills Do I Need To Become A Software Developer?

The skills you need to become a software developer include:

• Programming languages: You must have a certain level of competency in at least one programming language, such as Python, Java, or C++. You may need to learn multiple languages depending on the projects you work on.
• Algorithms and data structures: You will need to understand how they work in order to write efficient and effective code.
• Software development methodologies: You will need to be familiar with agile and other software development methodologies.
• Problem-solving skills: In your day-to-day life as a software developer, you must solve complex problems that require you to think creatively and analytically.
• Communication skills: You will need good communication skills to collaborate effectively with other developers, designers, and stakeholders.

How Much Do Software Developers Make?

The salary of a software developer will depend on factors such as experience, location, and industry. However, the average annual salary for a software developer in the UK is around £40,000 to £50,000. 

Entry-level positions tend to be around £25,000, whereas experienced developers can make over £80,000. 

Software developers working in industries such as finance, healthcare, and government will likely have access to higher salaries than those in other industries, and developers working in cities such as London may earn higher salaries than their countryside counterparts.

What Are The Downsides Of Becoming A Software Developer?

The downsides of working as a software developer include the following:

Long Hours

Software development can require long hours, particularly when working on a big project or when facing tight deadlines. Many software developers state that their hours can sometimes lead to burnout or work-life imbalance.

Sitting for Extended Periods

As with all computer-based jobs,  software developers spend a lot of time sitting at their desks. This can lead to health problems like back pain or carpal tunnel syndrome. To avoid these issues, it is  important to take regular breaks to stretch, walk, or engage in some light exercise.

Constant Learning

This may not be a ‘downside’ depending on your perspective. Because technology is always evolving, software developers need to keep on top of the latest developments, including learning new programming languages. This can require a lot of continuous learning, sometimes even in your free time.

Pressure to Deliver

Many software developers work on high-stakes projects. This is especially true for those working in industries such as finance and healthcare. One small mistake might lead to serious consequences, creating a sometimes overwhelming amount of pressure to deliver top-quality work under tight deadlines.

Collaboration 

Software developers often need to collaborate with designers and stakeholders, as well as other developers. These people may be remote, and even in different timezones. 

Whilst working independently may be an advantage, you may be at the helm of any clients that you have, which could mean working long hours whilst not getting the same bonuses, rewards or financial assistance from working in a large firm.

What Are The Advantages Of Becoming A Software Developer?

The advantages of working as a software developer include the following:

High Demand

The demand for skilled software developers is high, and will continue to be as long as technology continues to play such a huge role in our lives. This means that the field boasts generally strong job prospects, especially compared to other fields. 

Remote Working

Being a software developer means you could work in a fast-paced tech environment or work remotely or anywhere in the world if you wanted to. It allows for a good quality of life and work life balance if you have children or enjoy travelling.

High Salaries

Entry-level positions in software development are higher than many other fields, and the salaries only continue to grow. As developers gain experience or find a specialisation, they gain access to even higher salaries. 

Creative Problem-Solving

Software development is a creative field that gives developers a chance to use their problem-solving skills. Quick thinking is needed to create clever solutions to complex problems, which can be very satisfying for most developers. 

Adobe announced a deal in September 2022 to purchase Figma for $20 billion. The deal was immediately met with criticism, with Figma users fearing that Adobe would kill off the smaller company’s features, or price its web-based design tools out of the reach of its core customers. Regulators started to scrutinize the deal over concerns the deal would eliminate one of Adobe’s only true competitors.

The EU Commission is now engaging in an in-depth investigation into the deal.

“Adobe and Figma are two leading providers of software for the creative community in the digital sphere,” said Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President in charge of competition policy. “Many users and businesses rely on their digital design tools to excel in their work. With our in-depth investigation we aim to ensure that users continue to have access to a wide pool of digital creative tools among which to choose.”

The Commission says it has cooperated with other regulatory agencies in the initial stages of the investigation. While it did not say which agencies, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has raised concerns about the deal as well.

Inkscape is the popular, cross-platform vector graphics editor that is available as open-source software. The latest version, 1.3, brings a number of improvements:

A lot of effort has gone into improving the performance and speed of all aspects of Inkscape. This involved the refactoring of inefficient code, rewriting how Inkscape works with patterns, moving bitmap tracing into a separate thread and so much more.

Canvas rendering is now both multithreaded, and done outside of Inkscape’s main process thread.

If your computer’s processor has more than one core (which it most likely does), this can result in a 2–4× speedup while zooming / panning / transforming objects.

The number of processor cores used for rendering can be adjusted in Edit ➞ Preferences ➞ Rendering ➞ Number of Threads. By default, Inkscape tries to be as fast as possible by using as many cores as possible.

The list of changes is exhaustive, but can be found in more detail in this blog post.

Elon Musk began showing off Twitter’s new X logo Sunday, but it didn’t take long for eagle-eyed individuals to notice how similar it was to Tuxedo Computers’ logo.

On the company’s Reddit forum, users commented on the similarity, prompting a response from one of the Tuxedo team:

Let’s just say, that we had the same intuition earlier today. Probably we are just biased and overthinking it, who knows.

Similarly, Phoronix was quick to point out how similar Twitter’s new logo is to that of the X.org foundation.

While it is true that there are only so many ways to display an “X,” there’s no denying that Twitter’s new logo is disturbingly similar to existing designs.

It’s also interesting that Twitter’s design is similar to the logos of two organizations that are major open source players. It makes one wonder if Twitter would unveil a logo so similar to that of a multi-billion dollar corporation with a team of attorneys eager and waiting to sue for infringement.

Adobe announced plans to acquire Figma for $20 billion in September 2022. Figma provides web-based design tools that compete with Adobe’s Creative Suite at a fraction of the price. Many users were dismayed with the news, fearing that Adobe would kill off Figma or greatly increase its cost.

Regulators are looking at the deal, and the CMA has weighed in with some initial concerns:

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has identified concerns in the supply of screen design software, where Adobe’s and Figma’s products compete. The CMA found that Figma has established a substantial share of the market for screen design software and that Adobe has been continuously investing in and competing in this segment. The CMA found that competition between Figma and Adobe has driven investment in updating and developing screen design software, and this important rivalry could be lost if the deal goes ahead.

The CMA also identified concerns in the provision of creative design software, where Adobe offers some of the leading tools for image, video, and animation content. The CMA’s investigation found that Figma is an emerging competitive threat to Adobe across these tools, and that Figma is well-placed to expand its offering and provide an increased constraint to Adobe. This rivalry and innovation is important to the sector and could be threatened by this deal.

The CMA expressed concern that Adobe’s purchase of Figma could result in less competition and higher costs, hurting small businesses and innovation.

“Products sold by Adobe and Figma are critical for the development of digital services that people and businesses use on a daily basis – be that popular apps and websites selling anything from holidays to streaming the latest movies,” said Sorcha O’Carroll, Senior Mergers Director at the CMA.

“We’re worried this deal could stifle innovation and lead to higher costs for companies that rely on Figma and Adobe’s digital tools – as they cease to compete to provide customers with new and better products.

“Unless Adobe can put forward viable solutions to our concerns in the coming days, we will move to a more in-depth investigation.”