Adobe’s Firefly Foundry AI Offering Draws Support From Talent Agencies, Filmmakers, VFX Houses & Others

Adobe is rolling out a new AI offering aiming to create common ground among major talent agencies, top filmmakers, visual effects houses and others balancing human creativity with technological advances.

Dubbed Firefly Foundry, it uses AI models the tech company calls “commercially safe” to generate high-fidelity images, video, audio, 3D and vector outputs grounded in a brand or franchise’s creative universe. “Firefly Foundry helps the media and entertainment industry move faster while preserving artistry, authorship and ownership,” the company said in a blog post.

The rollout comes at an anxious time for Hollywood, with above-the-line guilds preparing for a new round of negotiations with studios and streamers and technology high atop their list of concerns. In 2023, anxiety about AI contributed to strikes by the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA. Legacy companies and the talent community are grappling with the rush of AI innovation, which has raised questions about copyright, transparency and future economic and workforce models. Disney recently opted to partner with OpenAI last month in a widely followed move, though it also has warned Google to stop training its AI models on Disney properties.

High-profile partners in Firefly Foundry include major agencies CAA, WME and UTA; hybrid and AI-native film studios including B5 Studios and Promise Advanced Imagination; design and VFX studios like Cantina Creative; and directors David Ayer (the Fast and Furious franchise, Suicide Squad) and Jaume Collet-Serra (Black Adam, Jungle Cruise).

Bryan Lourd, CEO and co-chairman of CAA, said in a statement that Adobe “recognizes the importance of protecting creators’ rights and intellectual property, and is committed to building a responsible AI ecosystem. Firefly Foundry empowers artists with commercially safe tools that expand the possibilities of creative expression, and we look forward to bringing these capabilities to our clients.”

Sean Bailey, the former film studio production chief at Disney who went on to become founder and CEO of B5 Studios, also offered his endorsement. “Adobe has always valued the creative process, championing artists and the worlds they bring to life,” Bailey said. “At B5 Studios, we share that commitment as a next-generation content and technology company, collaborating with creators to develop premium storytelling across film, television, and emerging formats.”

Adobe said Firefly Foundry can play a role in the creative process in a number of ways, across the full scope of production as well as with short-form social content and in-person experiences. The company announced the new offering as this year’s Sundance Film Festival kicked off, noting that 85% of this year’s fest selections were created with help from Adobe’s technology.