Adobe Acrobat: Edit and share PDF documents with AI agents

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Adobe is expanding the AI tools in its PDF software, Acrobat. With the “Productivity Agent,” the company is announcing a range of functions that automate typical office and communication tasks.

Edit PDF documents using voice input

With the AI agent, users can edit documents in natural language with instructions such as “Shorten the summary” or “Move the page with the payment terms to the end.” The AI is also intended to automatically recognize and highlight changes between document versions.

Adobe describes the Productivity Agent as part of a larger strategy around so-called agent-based AI systems. They are intended to understand workflows, complete tasks independently, and collaborate with other specialized AI agents. This also includes the announced creative agent, which independently performs typical creative tasks.

PDF documents as interactive information spaces

Adobe intends to introduce so-called “PDF Spaces,” collections of documents, links, presentations, and audio content. An embedded AI assistant will answer questions and provide recommendations on the embedded content.

Adobe names several use cases for this. Real estate agents could provide their clients with such interactive information spaces about city districts and properties. HR departments could provide new employees with digital onboarding areas. Sales teams should be able to offer interested parties information. Marketing campaigns or product roadmaps could also be structured in this way.

What the Adobe AI will learn in the future

Furthermore, Adobe plans functions that automatically convert content into other formats. For example, the Productivity Agent is intended to generate audio summaries from documents that can be listened to like podcasts. Similarly, presentations suitable for meetings or management rounds are to be automatically created from research documents.

In the long term, Adobe aims to automatically tailor content to different target audiences. In one example, the company describes a sales pitch where the AI creates variants: a short video for executives, a visual story for sustainability managers, and an interactive revenue simulation for sales.

Availability

The new functions will be provided via a new offering called “Acrobat Express” as well as via “Acrobat Studio.” Adobe has not yet announced a specific release date.

(akr)