Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen Predicts Creativity Over Code to Fuel India's Economic Future

At the WAVES 2025 conference, Adobe Systems' CEO, Shantanu Narayen, made a compelling case for creativity as the cornerstone of India's future economic growth, rather than its famed software development sector. With plans to democratize digital creativity training for over 20 million Indians and 500,000 teachers, Adobe is setting the stage for a transformative shift in the country's economic narrative.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to play a pivotal role in this transition, amplifying human creativity and offering new tools and perspectives. Narayen envisions a future where AI, trained on India's rich cultural and historical data, fosters new forms of digital sovereignty and competitive advantage.

India's burgeoning creative sector, with over 100 million content creators and a 10% annual growth in independent creators, underscores the potential for AI to revolutionize local and regional solutions. Furthermore, the collaboration between Adobe and TCS to launch an AI-powered Creative Experience Studio (ACES) highlights the practical steps being taken to harness this potential.