This Harvard Business School case study examines the strategic challenge faced by Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen in late 2022. The rapid rise of generative AI image models from companies like OpenAI, Midjourney, and StabilityAI presented both an opportunity and a threat to Adobe's core business.
The case highlights concerns among creative professionals β a key customer segment for Adobe β regarding the ethical implications and trustworthiness of GenAI models trained on internet data. The central dilemma for Narayen and his team was deciding whether Adobe should:
The study emphasizes the critical need to responsibly train any model if Adobe chooses to build one, maintaining its trusted relationship with both enterprise and creative professional clients while retaining its industry leadership.
The case study was published by Harvard Business School on April 23, 2025. It's 26 pages long and is available for purchase, offering various discounts for bulk orders.
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