Recently, Figma previewed a major update that got the design world buzzing: AI directly on the design canvas. Instead of just helping with images or text, Figma’s AI will now generate design variations, resize elements, change fonts, translate and more…all without leaving your workspace (and hopefully while staying inside your design system).

As always, X lit up with reactions. I remember seeing one tweet that read ‘This is what Figma Make should’ve been.’ And people agreed. Many felt Make was always a half-step: interesting, but not game-changing. With AI now on the canvas, they see this as the leap forward that Make couldn’t deliver.

Another reaction  I saw was the predictable “AI is replacing designers.” Let’s cut through the noise: design is way more than rectangles and pretty colors. Without real skill behind the tools, everything risks becoming a copy of a copy. We’ve already seen it with AI websites and writing, they all start to share that same flat, soulless look and design is no different. Unless you know your craft, you’re just making bad designs faster.

Frankly, my first thought wasn’t that tools would replace anyone. As someone who had to do a lot of learning to get a hold of design (and still is every day), I immediately wondered what this means for design education. Will beginners lean on AI from the start, or will they still need to build the fundamentals before AI can actually help them? To me, the obvious answer is the latter…nothing beats the strength that comes from mastering the basics, no matter the field.

This update, though, is clearly about smoother workflows, not stolen jobs. For skilled designers, it means less time on tedious tasks and more time iterating, exploring, and testing with users. That’s a big deal.

There’s a catch though: AI shouldn’t replace intentional design decisions. The “why” behind layouts and flows? That’s still on us. If AI can handle the “how,” great, it clears the busywork and makes room for more creativity, not less.

The elephant in the room here, of course, is user data privacy. The concerns are valid. Many AI models are still murky about data use, and honestly, it’s the same debate circling every AI tool. It’s just not something we’ve fully figured out yet.

Almost at the same time, Framer made a big swing with their new “design + ship” pages. Naturally, it reignited the Figma vs. Framer debate. For websites, Framer’s smooth, fast, and fun. But that’s the thing: Framer is still just websites. Figma is where entire products live: apps, dashboards, systems, prototypes. With AI now powering the canvas, Figma is pulling even further ahead for end-to-end product design. If you ask me, it’s not even a competition anymore.

So where does this leave us? For designers, the game is changing. Tools are shifting from what you can make to how fast you can ship it. The real conversation isn’t whether AI will replace designers. It’s about how some designers are about to become unstoppable by using these tools to their advantage.

Looking at the bigger picture, AI is embedding itself (whether we’re ready for it or not) directly into the tools we already use. Intelligence now lives inside the workflow. For me, that’s exciting, because the future of design isn’t about replacing creativity with automation. It’s about freeing us to do what only humans can: imagine, create, interpret, and inspire.

20th September,2025