Adobe has appointed Dana Rao as its first-ever Chief Trust Officer, expanding his current role as General Counsel and Chief Policy Officer. This newly created executive position underscores Adobe’s intent to lead on trust, privacy, and responsible AI governance as it scales its creative and enterprise platforms globally.

Defining the Role of Chief Trust Officer

As Chief Trust Officer, Rao will oversee Adobe’s global strategy for trust, compliance, and digital integrity, with a focus on driving transparency, ethical AI deployment, data governance, and user empowerment across Adobe’s suite of products and services.

This includes oversight of:

• Privacy-by-design frameworks

• AI ethics and transparency initiatives

• Regulatory engagement and policy alignment

• Cybersecurity, content authenticity, and misinformation safeguards

Rao’s expanded role reflects Adobe’s recognition that trust is a competitive differentiator in the age of generative AI and data-centric experiences.

Leadership in Responsible AI and Content Authenticity

Under Rao’s leadership, Adobe has already emerged as a vocal advocate for ethical AI, particularly in the creative space. The company is a founding member of the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) and continues to advance “Do Not Train” metadata protections for creators who do not want their work used to train AI models.

As Chief Trust Officer, Rao will work across product, engineering, and legal teams to embed accountability into Adobe’s AI and data lifecycle, especially as tools like Adobe Firefly and Sensei GenAI scale across platforms like Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Experience Cloud.

Aligning Policy, Innovation, and Customer Expectations

Rao will also serve as Adobe’s lead liaison to governments, regulatory bodies, and standards-setting organizations, guiding the company’s response to global AI regulations such as the EU AI Act, U.S. Executive Orders on AI, and emerging data privacy frameworks.

“Trust is the foundation of customer relationships,” Rao said in a company statement. “As technology evolves, we have a responsibility to ensure transparency, fairness, and safety are built into every layer of innovation.”

Strengthening Adobe’s Trust-First Strategy

The creation of the Chief Trust Officer role is part of Adobe’s broader strategy to remain a values-driven leader in digital transformation, balancing innovation with accountability in a time of rising scrutiny over data use, algorithmic bias, and content authenticity.