Canva Launches Its Own Design Model with Major AI Upgrades

Canva has launched its own design model that understands design layers and formats to power new creative features. The company announced the update on Thursday, marking a major step in its AI-powered design journey.

The new foundational model is trained on Canva’s design elements. It generates editable designs with layers and objects instead of flat images. It also works across formats such as social media posts, presentations, whiteboards, and websites.

Robert Kawalsky, Canva’s Global Head of Product, said:

“We started by creating flat images with diffusion models. Omni models have taken that a step further, where you’re able to edit those flat images with a lot of sophistication through prompting. But the tools have made you prompt your way to the final result, which, for a visual medium, is challenging.”

“What we’ve found is that people… want the ability to start with a prompt and get far, but also be able to iterate directly themselves.”

Canva AI, the platform’s chat-like assistant, is now available throughout the interface. Users can tag (@mention) it in comments for quick text or media suggestions. The tool can also generate 3D objects and copy any design’s art style.

Canva has connected its spreadsheet and mini-app features, allowing users to create data visualisation widgets. The company also launched Canva Grow, an all-in-one marketing platform powered by AI. It follows Canva’s acquisition of ad analytics firm MagicBrief and lets users publish ads directly on Meta platforms.

Canva now supports form creation and email design for marketing or client communication. Additionally, the company made its professional design suite, Affinity, free forever. The redesigned Affinity interface merges vector, pixel, and layout tools, tightly integrating with Canva’s ecosystem.