Adobe tells creators "At the end of the day AI is just a tool" – BrandonB and Niko Amolina on stage as Adobe holds first-ever Creator Live event in London

Adobe Marketing Manager set at Adobe Creator Live at Kensington Olympia.

Opening the Adobe Creator Live 2026 event in London, the Adobe's Simon Morris told the crowd that it was the "500 of the UK's to creators," and, while acknowledging that AI would be a big part of the conversation, "AI if just a tool. Creativity always starts with you."

Adobe Creator Live 2026 is a new event, replacing similar events, with a number of speakers known to internet creators speaking on subjects like strategies for generating income and using tools like Adobe Firefly – very much the focus of the event when it comes to software.

Niko Omilana, creator, speaking on the main stage, accompanied with Leah Walker, Adobe's Head of Creator & Influencer Partnerships. (Image credit: Future)

While, for photographers, it lacks the breadth of possibilities that The Photography and Video Show offers (the four-day event is in its last day, conflicting with Adobe's afternoon & evening event). It concentrates on a very narrow niche of creators in comparison to that broader exhibition (at which Adobe were also present with a large stand), but it makes sense for those looking to grow their subscriber base to come and hear from people with more than 10 million followers.

I don't know if it's directly connected with the fact that I'm (more than a bit) over 30, but there is a distinct ringing in my ears from sitting and typing near the center stage! (Image credit: Future)

Adobe told us that what made the Adobe Creator Live event different is that the company was curating the crowd, picking between 400 and 500 people from those who applied in advance to the Adobe site.

These attendees were given advice about building audiences on social media who they could communicate with directly about anything they were developing by Sophie Muller.

Walker asked Niko Omilana what would be the first thing he would do if he was starting today. "I think, right now, the plan would be to make niche content – get people's attention in a smaller place... whatever you're interested in... niche down."

He also advised "Let a video breathe."

Some other interesting tidbits I picked up from the Creativity Zones is the fact that more TikTok users are trusting of AI, according to creator Sammy King, who might be behind some of the ads you've seen online. Hybrid ads – with some AI – "received just as many likes as those created by humans" but entirely AI ones only got half as many.

Jack Henderson, of About:blank, told people they should "treat their content creation like a business."