Creative suite company Canva launched its own design model on Thursday that understands different layers and formats today to power its features. The company also introduced new product forms, updates to its AI assistant, and the ability to create with its coding tool for sheets to make widgets for getting repeatable insights.
Canva said that it is launching its own foundational model, trained on its elements, that would generate designs with editable layers and objects as compared to a flat image. It said the model works across different formats, including social media posts, presentations, whiteboards, and websites.
“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,” Canva’s global head of product, Robert Kawalsky, told TechCrunch over a call.
“What we’ve found is that where people want to be is the ability to really marry this idea of starting with a prompt and getting far, but also being able to iterate directly themselves.”
Infusing more AI features into Canva
The company unveiled an AI assistant called Canva AI with a chat-like interface for generating new media items using prompts earlier this year. The platform is now making that assistant available across screens, including the design and elements tabs.
Image Credits: Canva
Users can also mention the bot in comments to get text or media suggestions while working on a project with others. Plus, the AI tool can now generate 3D objects and allow you to copy the art style of a design.
Earlier this year, the company added a spreadsheet product and a feature that lets users create mini apps through prompts. Now, it’s connecting these two products, allowing users to make use of data stored in the spreadsheet and create widgets from that.
Techcrunch event TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is live! Join Google Cloud, Netflix, Microsoft, Box, Phia, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. And don’t miss 300+ showcasing startups in all sectors.
... continue reading