Generative fill requires VPN

[Alfred5E88]

Something weird. Until yesterday it was working, today the generative fill stops with the green bar showing 100%. Even half an hour later it's still there and can't finish.

If I connect with a VPN, using a server in another country, for instance the Netherlands or Japan, generative fill works without problems.

[Conrad_C]

Does it help to, for example, restart the Internet connection device (modem, gateway…) to make it obtain a different IP address, in case that is what’s hanging up the connection? Are there problems with any other Adobe cloud-based services such as Creative Cloud Libraries or cloud-processed Select Subject?

[Alfred5E88]

Interesting. Indeed after restarting the router generative fill works again. But what was wrong with the previous IP address I had?

I don't use Adobe cloud-based services.

[Conrad_C]

We may never know what was wrong with the previous connection. I just know that some IP addresses happen to be on a server with a worse connection or other problems. For example, some websites behave differently or with more restrictions after enabling a VPN, especially if the VPN server IP address ended up on a blacklist. But in any case a solution is to cycle to a different IP address, or in some cases a different DNS server, to see if that improves things.

Also be aware that some Creative Cloud services are always in use, such as Adobe Fonts, license validation, and tutorials/What’s New notices that are downloaded to an app’s Home screen when the app is started. If you use a network traffic monitor, you’ll see a number of network connections to various locations maintained by a long list of Creative Cloud background processes. My network monitor lists 23 subdomains contacted just by Photoshop services, and around 50 more additional subdomains contacted by background processes such as Core Sync, Creative Cloud Content Manager, Creative Cloud UI Helper, etc. (Windows and macOS do the same thing.)

Because of that, if you were having a problem with Generative AI specifically, then that specific server may have had a problem with the IP address when many other Creative Cloud network connections did not. Otherwise, other Adobe networked components might have had problems too.

[Alfred5E88]

By the way, this generative fill also doesn't work in China. I was travelling in China over Easter for 2 weeks, and got a message "generative fill not supported in China". Perhaps it also doesn't work in other countries?

[Alfred5E88]

Brief update: this problem happens again and again. But I can't just switch the router off and on again, because every time I have to wait over 5 minutes until I have again an Internet connection (and other people also use this Internet connection).

So basically, when using generative fill I have to connect through a VPN.

[Conrad_C]

I’m not sure why the problem keeps happening. But I’m replying because I forgot to answer a question you asked earlier about it not working in China.

The online help files for Photoshop generative AI specifically label some Photoshop services as “not available in mainland China” if you look at the sidebar on the left. These include Photoshop on iPad, Photoshop on the web, Photoshop beta, Generative AI, Content Authenticity, and Cloud Documents.

Photoshop generative AI uses Adobe Firefly technology. The online help files for Adobe Firefly generative AI say

Adobe Firefly isn't available in Russia, Belarus, and China. In addition, Adobe services and products cannot be used in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Crimea, or the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.

It isn’t always clear whether these are self-restricted by Adobe, but in the news you will find that some technologies are restricted by some governments in one direction or the other. The USA restricts the export of some technologies to certain countries (e.g. due to sanctions) which is the case for at least some of the countries in the list above. Going the other direction, some countries have passed laws restricting or blocking generative AI.

[Alfred5E88]

Well, it doesn't really matter because I won't be travelling to China for a while. But just out of curiosity, why on earth wouldn't it be possible to use generative AI in China? You are not exporting any technology to China, just using Photoshop to generate parts of pictures.

[Conrad_C]

Well, it doesn't really matter because I won't be travelling to China for a while. But just out of curiosity, why on earth wouldn't it be possible to use generative AI in China? You are not exporting any technology to China, just using Photoshop to generate parts of pictures.

By @Alfred5E88

The available docs aren’t specific as to why, so we can’t assume it’s specifically because of an “export” restriction. That’s just one possible reason. As I replied, the restriction can be for various different reasons, and, it can go in either direction. The restriction may be placed by a country in which a company is headquartered (e.g. “we have banned you from providing it to them”), or, the restriction may be placed by a country where the company is offering services (e.g., “we have banned you from providing that service to us.”)

A number of countries have banned ChatGPT, which is a form of generative AI. If those countries consider Photoshop generative AI to be essentially similar to ChatGPT, they might ban that too. At that point, I do not know how much that might or might not apply to China. But, if some countries have placed a general ban on generative AI, then maybe Adobe would love to offer it there but isn’t allowed to.