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If you don't have time to read a lengthy PDF, Adobe's AI assistant can summarize and answer questions about non-scanned documents that are less than 120 pages. The AI will even suggest follow-up questions you didn't think to ask.
Adobe's AI Assistant is free across all its products and allows a complimentary (but limited) number of requests. A paid version of the AI Assistant grants unlimited access and unlocks additional features. That includes asking it to generate content based on information in the PDF, from a cover letter and resume to a business plan or report.
The premium plan will run you $6.99 a month, $4.99 a month for an annual subscription paid monthly, or $59.88 for a prepaid annual subscription. Generative AI features are available in Adobe Acrobat Reader, the Adobe Acrobat desktop app, and Acrobat online, through extensions for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, or from the Acrobat Reader mobile apps for iOS and Android.
How to Summarize a PDF
Open a PDF in Adobe Reader or Acrobat that you want to use with the AI. Click the AI Assistant button in the upper right or select AI Assistant in the left sidebar. Alternatively, launch Reader or Acrobat without a specific file, click Try it now under AI Assistant, and open the file you want to use. The AI Assistant pops up in the right sidebar, where it will automatically analyze the document.
(Credit: PCMag / Adobe)After the analysis is complete, the tool displays a brief summary of the file and offers suggested follow-up questions. Select one to see how the AI answers it, or type your own question in the field at the bottom.
(Credit: PCMag / Adobe)You can ask it to consolidate information in the PDF, which you can then use for another document, an email, a report, or a presentation.
(Credit: Lance Whitney / Adobe)Generate Content
Since the AI Assistant is a generative AI tool, you can use it to generate content. Type a request in the bottom field asking it to create a letter, proposal, report, or other item. The AI writes and displays the content.
(Credit: PCMag / Adobe)After the AI displays an answer to your request, you can react in a few ways. At the bottom of the answer, click the Copy button to copy the response and paste it elsewhere. Click the thumbs up icon if you like the response or the thumbs down icon if you don't like it. Or click the flag icon to report the response if you find it inappropriate in any way.
(Credit: PCMag / Adobe)Generate a Summary
To request a more detailed summary of a document, open a PDF and click Generative summary in the left sidebar. In the right sidebar, the AI Assistant provides a brief summary of the file followed by a list of key topics and subtopics.
(Credit: PCMag / Adobe)Click the down arrow next to any topic to see a summary of the information in that section. You can click the arrow for each topic to drill down through each summary covering the entire file. Selecting a specific topic or summary takes you to the related page in the PDF so you can see which information is included.
(Credit: PCMag / Adobe)In some cases, the summary generated by the AI Assistant will include numbered links to the associated items in the file itself. If you see this, click on one of the numbered links to view the relevant content in the file.
(Credit: PCMag / Adobe)Use AI Assistant With Multiple Files
Adobe's AI assistant also allows you to ask for details and analysis for a range of files at the same time. To do this, open Acrobat without a file. Click the Home icon at the top and check the files you wish to use. Click the AI Assistant in the right sidebar, and Acrobat will open the files together as a single collection.
(Credit: PCMag / Adobe)Acrobat will tell you that it's processing the files you selected and then indicate that all the files have been added. The assistant will display some sample questions you can ask. Otherwise, you can submit your own questions concerning all the files you selected.
(Credit: Lance Whitney / Adobe)