Adobe CEO: Creativity, Not Software Coding, Will Drive India's Economy

Shantanu Narayen, CEO of global technology giant Adobe Systems, said that creativity, rather than software code, will be the primary driver of India's economy in the future.

Speaking at the WAVES2025 event, the India-born executive also announced that the company will train over 2 crore Indians and 5 lakh teachers in digital creativity with partners by providing free access to its products.

"Given the size and breadth of the creative opportunity that AI unlocks, it's fair to say that India's next growth as an economy will not be in software code but in creativity," according to him.

He went on to say that by training AI models on Indian cultural, linguistic, and historical data, we can create "new forms of digital sovereignty".

"Models are the foundation and the important part of differentiation and a competitive advantage," according to him.

India's vast outsourcing industry will have the opportunity to evolve and create new AI-driven workflows, as well as build AI agents.

India has the opportunity to lead on the global stage through ethical AI, according to the CEO of the American company. AI will also allow India to build on its leadership in mobile infrastructure and payments to imagine and foster new business models.

AI enables startups to rapidly prototype, test, and scale innovative solutions tailored to local and regional needs, he said.

Today, India has over 100 million content creators, with a 10% year-on-year increase in freelance creators and small design studios over the last decade, he stated.

He added that over 500 million Indians consume high-quality content on their mobile phones, thanks to the world's most affordable mobile internet.

Meanwhile, Adobe announced a collaboration with the country's largest IT services company, Tata Consultancy Services, to launch a new AI-powered Creative Experience Studio (ACES) for the Indian market, targeting businesses and public sector enterprises.