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Adobe to offer free access to AI tools in Saudi Arabia in $4 billion deal

By Thomson Reuters Aug 31, 2026 | 6:38 AM

Aug 31 (Reuters) – Adobe said on Monday it has expanded its tie-up with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications ​and Information Technology and Saudi government-backed ‌AI firm Humain to provide citizens with 12 months of free access to its AI-powered tools.

The company said it plans to offer ‌over ​27 million eligible Saudi ⁠citizens and residents free ⁠access to its Adobe Firefly Standard subscription tier, plus Adobe Express Premium features, including a new image generation model “tuned ​to Saudi culture.” Its commitment is valued at more than $4 billion.

The image ⁠model is jointly developed ⁠by Adobe and Humain, backed ​by Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund, and will allow ​users to create “culturally aligned” images using ‌Arabic-language prompts.

The free access will start rolling out by the end of 2026, Adobe said.

The companies had announced their partnership ⁠in November, aiming to boost Humain’s development of tools for generating content in Arabic and ⁠for the ‌broader Middle East region.

For Adobe, ⁠the expanded partnership is expected ​to ‌aid user growth for its ​AI products ⁠and tools, crucial for driving growth in a crowded design software industry where smaller firms have been gaining share rapidly.

(Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by ​Shilpi Majumdar)