Adobe–Semrush Deal, TikTok’s AI Filters & Snapchat’s Topic Chats

Once known mainly for creative software, Adobe is now creating a larger space in the AI and digital experience ecosystem. From its long-term AI partnership with the Premier League to the launch of CX AI Agents, Adobe is expanding its role to stay competitive as tech and user behavior keep evolving.

Well, that direction now seems to be extending into its acquisition strategy as well.

Adobe is reportedly close to finalizing a $1.9 billion deal to buy Semrush, signaling that the company is ready to make big moves again after its failed attempt to acquire Figma.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Adobe plans to pay $12 a share, valuing Semrush well above its recent market cap of just over $1 billion.


The news quickly sparked excitement in the market as Semrush shares jumped 71% in premarket trading to $11.55, while Adobe’s stock stayed mostly flat. For Adobe, this deal is important as brands are increasingly trying to understand how they show up in AI-generated search results, and Semrush has become a key tool for those insights.

Adobe, known for creative tools like Photoshop, has been steadily growing its marketing and analytics business. But despite that growth, concerns that AI could impact its core creative software have pushed its stock down about a quarter this year.

If the deal goes well, it would be Adobe’s first major acquisition since it dropped the Figma deal in 2023 due to regulatory pushback in Europe and the UK. Buying Semrush would show Adobe is doubling down on data, marketing intelligence, and the future of AI-driven search.

In short, Adobe seems to be positioning itself ahead of the next wave of AI that’s changing how people discover and interact with brands online.

While Adobe is making its moves in the AI space, TikTok is taking a more user-centric approach.

The company is rolling out a new control that lets people choose how much AI-generated content they want to see in their “For You” feed.

The option lives inside the app’s “Manage Topics” section, where users can already fine-tune categories like Dance, Sports, or Food & Drinks.

The update comes as AI-only feeds grow across the industry, with Meta launching Vibes and OpenAI rolling out Sora. At the same time, TikTok has seen a surge of realistic AI-generated videos on its own platform.


“Manage Topics already enables people to adjust how often they see content related to over 10 categories like Dance, Sports, and Food & Drinks. Like those controls, the AIGC setting is intended to help people tailor the diverse range of content in their feed, rather than removing or replacing content in feeds entirely,” TikTok said in a blog post.

To strengthen transparency, TikTok is also testing “invisible watermarking,” a new method that adds watermarks only the platform can detect. This builds existing C2PA Content Credentials, which can be removed when content is reuploaded elsewhere.

TikTok will apply these watermarks to AI-made content created with its tools or uploaded with C2PA metadata.

Alongside these changes, TikTok is launching a $2 million AI literacy fund to support organizations like the nonprofit “Girls Who Code” to content around AI education and safety.

At the same time, other platforms are evolving too.

Snapchat is shifting beyond its long-time focus on private messaging with the rollout of “Topic Chats,” a new way for users to join public conversations around trending topics from F1 to Below Deck.

The feature lets people jump into chatrooms tied to Stories, Spotlight videos, or search results, without exposing their full profiles to strangers. Only display names appear, and they can’t be tapped or searched.


Snapchat told that Topic Chats will use LLM-powered moderation and follow its Community Guidelines, with actions taken against users who break the rules. Friends will also be able to see which chats each other have joined, making it easier to discover shared interests.

Alongside messages, Topic Chats will surface related Spotlight videos to give users more context around what’s trending. The feature is rolling out over the coming weeks in the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand.

Will Snapchat’s Topic Chats make you join more public conversations?

Do you think Adobe buying Semrush will change how brands get found online?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!