AI is helping creators grow, but making it harder to stand out, survey finds

Creators are embracing artificial intelligence at a significant rate, but many also believe the technology is making it harder to stand out, according to new research from Adobe.

The company's 2026 Creators' Toolkit Report found that 87% of creators say creative AI has accelerated the growth of their business or audience, while 75% now describe it as integrated into or essential to how they work.

However, 42% believe AI-generated content is making it harder for unique voices to stand out. Among creators who say it is harder to get noticed today than a year ago, 53% point to the growing volume of content as the main reason.

Additionally, creators remain cautious about handing over too much control. While 85% believe the final creative decision should always remain theirs, 44% said they would only be comfortable giving an AI agent greater independence if they could review or undo its work at any point. Nine in ten also said it is important that work created with the help of AI can still be protected by copyright.

"As creative AI becomes more widely adopted, the creators who stand out will be those who use it to amplify their unique point of view," said Mike Polner, Adobe's vice president and head of product marketing for creators.

The survey covered more than 16,000 creators across the US, UK, France, Germany, South Korea, Japan, India and Australia.

AI dominates Cannes

The findings were published ahead of a week in which artificial intelligence dominated headlines at Cannes Lions, with TikTok, Meta, Snapchat and Adobe all unveiling AI-powered products.

TikTok launched Symphony Agent, an AI tool designed to recommend creators, generate campaign briefs, identify trends and suggest content ideas based on a brand's objectives. It also introduced Creator Networks, allowing brands to build groups of employee creators and brand advocates who can receive campaign briefs and take part in campaigns, the first featuring Starbucks.

Meta announced Creator Marketing Hub, bringing together Creator Marketplace and Partnership Ads Hub into a single destination while expanding creator discovery to include Facebook creators alongside Instagram. The company also introduced new AI tools to help marketers optimise advertising.

Ahead of the festival, Snapchat unveiled  Snap Creator Network, an AI-powered creator discovery tool that recommends creators based on campaign goals, audience and content style. It also introduced new AI tools for campaign planning, creative production and shopping.

Adobe expanded its creative agent across Firefly and Creative Cloud, bringing AI Assistant to applications including Premiere Pro, Photoshop and Illustrator. The company said the tools are designed to automate multi-step production tasks, allowing creators to spend more time on creative decisions. Adobe also announced that its creative tools are now available through ChatGPT, Claude and Microsoft 365 Copilot, with Google Gemini and Slack due to follow.

OpenAI, meanwhile, used its first appearance at Cannes Lions to position itself as a key advertising player, revealing that around one in five ChatGPT queries carries commercial intent. "We are clearly in the advertising business now," said Denise Dresser, the company's chief revenue officer.