Adobe’s JAPAC AI Evangelist Rochelle Tognetti argues that generative AI’s real potential lies in empowering humans to focus on strategic, human-centric work by automating routine tasks, though cautioning against superficial adoption.
Adobe’s JAPAC AI Evangelist Rochelle Tognetti argues that the real promise of generative AI is not that it makes machines more inventive, but that it gives people more room to think. In her view, the most valuable gain is not measured in seconds saved, but in the kind of work those seconds allow creative teams to do instead.
Tognetti, who joined Adobe after 27 years in marketing, including a stint as chief marketing officer for Deloitte Australia, said the strongest use case for AI is to remove routine work that interrupts creative flow. She pointed to the administrative burden, repeated approvals, data review and meeting overload that shape modern marketing and content production, leaving less time for original thinking. Adobe’s broader AI messaging has taken a similar line, with the company saying its agentic AI strategy is designed to automate routine tasks so people can focus on higher-value creative work.
That view is backed by Adobe’s own research into the creator economy. In its 2026 Creators’ Toolkit Report, the company said 87% of creators using creative AI reported faster growth in their business or audience, while 75% said AI had become essential to their workflow. Separate Adobe surveys and research also suggest that AI is being used most heavily in brainstorming, design and research, and that roles are shifting towards selection, direction and client-facing judgement rather than pure production.
Tognetti said that shift matters because once execution becomes cheaper and faster, judgement becomes more important. If AI can produce competent-looking copy, imagery and video at scale, the differentiator is no longer output alone, but the ability to decide what deserves attention. She said creative and marketing leaders should use the time AI frees up to bring foresight, draw on experience and make more strategic contributions to the organisation.
But she was equally direct about the risks. Tognetti warned against what she described as “AI slop”, arguing that brands must still produce work that is recognisable and engaging rather than generic. She also cautioned that organisations often make the mistake of bolting AI on to outdated processes instead of redesigning the workflow itself. In her view, creativity remains a deeply human trait, even if AI changes the tools, the pace and the division of labour around it.
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