“Please do not use AI assistants during the application process,” Anthropic, the organization behind the Claude AI assistant, tells candidates on its website, as reported by 404 Media last month. “We want to understand your personal interest in Anthropic without mediation through an AI system, and we also want to evaluate your non-AI-assisted communication skills.”
This explicit ban captures the hesitation that many organizations still feel toward AI in hiring. The Claude maker is not alone. Goldman Sachs, for instance, reminded applicants to its private investing academy earlier this year that they could not rely on external tools such as ChatGPT or Google search during the interview process. For both companies, the priority is to hear directly from applicants without technological mediation.
Adobe has taken a markedly different position. Rather than banning AI, the $141 billion software firm actively encourages its use during the recruitment process.
Adobe’s Encouragement of AI
Stacy Martinet, Adobe’s chief communications officer, has been clear about how she evaluates candidates. Speaking to Fortune, she explained: “As AI reshapes how we communicate, market, and create, those who pair creative skills with AI fluency will have a competitive edge, and we’re looking for that combination.”
Martinet said she appreciates when applicants show practical examples of how they use AI. “If someone comes to me and they’re like, ‘Hey, I made you this content for your social media channels, and I used AI as part of this.’ I would say, ‘That’s excellent,’” she said. The same applies during interview assignments, where she values when candidates refine their work with AI. “If it’s, ‘Hey, I’m interviewing for a communications job, and I did a first draft, and then I ran it through AI, and it suggested some tweaks,’ I think that would be excellent.”
Martinet’s comments reflect Adobe’s hiring philosophy. The company does not view AI as a shortcut or a risk to fair evaluation, but as part of the skill set it wants employees to develop and apply on the job. She made clear that a lack of prior experience with the technology is not disqualifying, though candidates will need to adopt it once they are on board. “If someone hasn’t used [AI], it’s not a hard ‘no,’” she said. “But they’re going to have to use it in their job, and so the sooner they can embrace it, the better. Because that’s what we’re doing—it’s here and it’s changing how we work.”
The Hiring Drive
Adobe’s current job postings show how central AI has become across the company. On LinkedIn, more than 220 active openings in the United States are listed under engineering and AI, spanning roles in applied science, machine learning, product management, and software engineering.
In San Jose, Adobe is recruiting a Sr Applied Scientist, Generative AI/ML, with a salary range between $162,000 and $301,200 per year. Another San Jose role for an Applied Scientist, AI/ML lists compensation between $142,700 and $257,600 annually. Leadership roles feature as well, such as the Principal Product Manager – Firefly Generative Audio in New York, offering between $145,100 and $273,200 per year.
Engineering is another major focus. A posting for a Senior Machine Learning Engineer – Acrobat in San Jose carries a range of $142,700 to $257,600, while a Firefly Model Architect role in the same city is listed at $193,900 to $362,400. In San Francisco, Adobe is seeking a Principal Scientist – Video Generation Control Research Leader, with the same salary band.
Adobe’s platform teams are also hiring. The company is looking for a Director of Software Engineering & Applied AI (Level 6) – Adobe Experience Platform in San Jose, with a salary range between $179,300 and $354,600. In Austin, Texas, the firm is advertising for a Software Development Engineer, AI Engineering, with compensation between $113,400 and $206,300.
At the senior level, a Staff Machine Learning Engineer role in San Jose is listed at $162,000 to $301,200 per year. Adobe is also hiring at the graduate level, with a 2026 University Graduate – Machine Learning Engineer position in San Jose offering $120,700 to $228,600 annually.
These roles, spread across hubs in California, New York, Texas, and Utah, underscore the breadth of Adobe’s investment in AI talent.
A Different Hiring Philosophy
Adobe’s openness to AI in the hiring process stands apart from the caution displayed by many other firms. Where companies like Anthropic and Goldman Sachs explicitly restrict AI use during recruitment, Adobe actively looks for it, seeing it as a skill that aligns with how work is already being done across its teams.Lief Larson, the CEO of Salesfolks, a hiring agency for sales teams, argues that it can often feel like the only solution for tackling a crowded market that requires playing the numbers game. “You have massive volumes of job postings at the same time that people who are looking for roles are having to apply to more roles than they ever have before,” Larson says. “If I’m putting myself in the shoes of the candidate, I understand why. You can write more content, you can try and have it be more customized and bespoke to an opportunity. And so the temptation is large, and it’s real to utilize that.”
