Tech companies have been cramming AI tools into almost every app and gadget we use, from Facebook and TikTok to the best Macs. But most of the time, these tools aren't all that helpful. So when I tried Adobe's new Acrobat AI Assistant, I wasn't expecting anything special. Another AI that summarizes text? How useful could it really be? But I was pleasantly surprised. It can help prepare for tests by generating study guides and also create presentations from thesis or research reports. It promises to help in seemingly unlimited ways.
The only thing that held me back from recommending it was the $5 monthly subscription. However, Adobe recently dropped the price to $2 a month (for students and educators), and now, at this price, it could be a game changer for students who have to tackle a mountain of text regularly.
Related
Adobe Photoshop has AI tools, but these are the only 5 worth using
Not all that glitters is gold, but these Photoshop AI tools are the best to use
It works wonders when summarizing documents
Imagine dropping a massive research paper into your laptop and having Adobe AI inside the document to answer your questions instantly. It would be a huge time-saver, not just for students, but for researchers and anyone who regularly works with documents. The reality isn't quite as perfect, but the AI tool is still handy, especially if you just want to get the gist of a document quickly.
I first tested the tool with a 30-page research paper. The AI Assistant pops up in the right sidebar of Adobe Acrobat Reader, where it automatically analyzes the document. After the analysis is complete, the tool displays a summary of the paper and suggests follow-up questions. I tried asking it different questions from the document, and while it managed to answer most of them, it repeatedly linked references to page numbers that were one-off from the actual page.
However, there's a lot of promise here, and I think this tool could actually be a game-changer. For example, when I asked the AI Assistant to summarize the key findings from the results section, it accurately provided the correct information, listing the findings in a clear, concise manner. It also offered links that took me directly to the relevant sections, although the page numbers were slightly misaligned.
Adobe's AI Assistant can take the pain out of presentations
Creating presentations can be one of the most daunting tasks in a student's life -- I've been there, and I know how much I hated it. The Acrobat assistant can help make that task a little easier. I tried creating a presentation out of a bulky research report from my college days. After uploading the document into Acrobat Reader, the AI Assistant took about 30 seconds to analyze it.
When I typed the prompt, "help me make a presentation out of this document," it generated concise bullet points and neatly divided sections of the report into individual slides. Mind you, this report was about 40 pages long. My prompt was rather vague, but you can get more detailed responses by refining your prompts accordingly.
After the AI displays an answer to your request, you have a few options to respond. At the bottom of the answer, you can click the Copy button to paste the response elsewhere, or you can give feedback using the thumbs-up or thumbs-down icons to indicate if you liked the response. If you find it inappropriate, there's also a flag icon to report it.
The AI Assistant can generate and format content for various uses, such as emails, blogs, and reports, while also providing citations. I gave it a shot by turning my research report into a 500-word blog post, and it worked pretty well. By default, it tends to write in a formal tone, kind of like a press release or marketing material. But I was able to tweak it by asking it to sound more casual and conversational.
Acrobat AI Assistant still needs work though
Like most AI tools out there, the Acrobat AI Assistant needs additional optimization to be fully reliable. The citations it provides are hit or miss, and it tends to give incorrect information at times. While it can handle basic summarization and data look-ups in PDFs, similar to a chatbot like Google Gemini or ChatGPT, it's fast, but there's still room for improvement.
The Acrobat AI Assistant is one of many AI features added to Adobe products. You can also explore other AI tools that can boost your productivity.
Acrobat AI Assistant
Adobe's AI study buddy
See at Adobe
Related
4 great AI tools to improve your productivity
These great AI tools will help you get work done faster.
