PDF files are easily one of the worst things about the current internet experience. We can’t escape them, nor do we really feel comfortable without them. But now that generative AI products like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini are available, we can use AI to help us get through PDF documents — especially the longer ones that we inevitably have to deal with.
Thankfully, Adobe has created an AI Assistant whose only job is to handle PDF files. And this might be the generative AI tool we’ve all been waiting for. On that note, Adobe says there might be some 3 trillion PDF files in the world. That’s clearly enough to warrant the use of AI to manage all that data.
I’d rather use a built-in tool like this newly announced AI Assistant to go through large PDF files rather than importing them into ChatGPT or anywhere else. At least in theory.
It’d be even better if that built-in chatbot could be tailored specifically for handling the data in digital documents. That’s what the new Adobe AI Assistant might be, and we’ll be able to test it out soon enough.
Adobe says that Reader and Acrobat customers will have access to “the full range of AI Assistant capabilities through a new add-on subscription plan when AI Assistant is out of beta.” This PDF AI chatbot will cost you extra, but it might be worth paying for the subscription.
You will have time to decide, however. The AI Assistant beta version is available to Acrobat Individual, Pro, and Teams customers for free right now. Acrobat Pro trials will also include access to the AI Assistant beta.
The current AI Assistant supports English, with other languages to follow. As for AI Assistant inside Reader, it’ll be available in the next weeks.
It’s unclear how long the AI Assistant beta test will last, however. Or how much the AI Assistant will cost after that.
AI Assistant can be used to summarize PDF files, offer citations, and find information. AI Assistant will also be able to export information from those PDF documents and have it ready for emails or presentations.
Furthermore, Adobe says that AI Assistant will not store or use PDF content to train the chatbot unless the customers opt into to data collection. That might be another reason to use Adobe’s AI Assistant over ChatGPT or other alternatives.
