Figma has suspended its new AI feature Make Design due to allegations that it plagiarized Apple's Weather design. This event sparked a debate about the ethics and implications of using artificial intelligence in design.
Figma scandal
Disabling the AI function
Figma has been forced to deactivate its recently introduced AI feature, Make Design. The reason was accusations that the tool reproduces the design of already existing applications, in particular Apple Weather. About this incident reports TechCrunch.
The essence of the problem
Make Design, an AI-powered tool, was launched just last week. Its purpose was to generate layouts and program interfaces from a textual description to facilitate the initial stage of designers' work.
The first to notice the problem was Andy Allen, founder of NotBoring Software . While testing Make Design, he noticed that the AI tool was constantly creating copies of Apple's Weather app. Allen shared his observations on the X social network, accusing Figma of learning the feature on existing app designs.
Figma management response
Dylan Field, CEO of Figma, responded to the allegations via "X". In a series of six posts, he refuted claims of training on existing designs. The feature uses off-the-shelf machine learning models combined with custom design systems, he said. However, this approach led to low variability of results.
Field acknowledged that after Allen's message, the Figma team discovered a problem with the underlying design systems. He took responsibility for the lack of quality control and rushed development for the Config conference.
"I have instructed our team to temporarily disable the Make Design feature until we are confident about the quality of its output," said Dylan Field.
Previous innovations and community reaction
It is worth noting that shortly before this incident, Figma announced the third large-scale update of the interface - UI3, introduced new AI tools to improve the work on the platform and presented Figma Slides for viewing presentations.
However, the design community has raised concerns about AI functions that can automatically generate layouts. In the comments on Allen and Field's posts, many expressed concern about possible job cuts. However, there were also alternative opinions: some experts believe that artificial intelligence will only take over routine tasks.
Glossary
- Figma is a popular platform for web design and prototyping
- Apple Weather - official weather app from Apple
- Make Design - Figma's AI function for automatic design generation
- NotBoring Software - a company founded by Andy Allen
- Config - a conference organized by Figma for developers and designers
Link
- TechCrunch: Figma disables its AI design feature that appeared to be ripping off Apple's Weather app
Answers to questions
What happened to the Make Design feature in Figma?
How did the Make Design feature work?
What was Figma's CEO's reaction to the allegations?
What concerns have the design community expressed about new AI features?
What other innovations has Figma announced together with Make Design?
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Discussion of the topic – Figma suspends AI feature Make Design due to copying scandal
Figma has shut down its new Make Design AI feature after being accused of copying Apple's Weather design. This decision was made a week after the presentation of the tool, which caused controversy in the design community.
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Oleksandr
Wow, Figma is back in the limelight! 👀 I wonder how they will solve this problem with Make Design. AI tools seem to be increasingly controversial in the design community.
Marta
Yes, Oleksandr! I think this is a very important point to discuss the ethics of AI in design. On the one hand, it can simplify work, but on the other hand, questions about originality and copyright arise. 🤔
Jean
Marta, you are right. But I believe that AI is the future of design. It will help us create prototypes and experiment with ideas faster. We just need to learn how to use it properly. 💡
Sophie
I wonder how this will affect the work of designers? 🎨 Maybe we will have to focus more on conceptual work, and AI will take over the technical part?
Viktor
All this is nonsense! AI will never replace a real designer. This is just another entertainment for lazy people. It would be better if they were engaged in improving existing tools, and not chasing fashion trends.
Oleksandr
Viktor, I understand your concern, but progress cannot be denied. AI can be a great assistant for designers, freeing up time for creativity. The main thing is to find a balance between technology and human input. 🤝
Marta
I agree with Oleksandr. By the way, I wonder how Figma will solve the problem of copying the Apple Weather design? Maybe they will develop some mechanism to check the originality of the generated layouts? 🕵️♀️
Jean
This is really a challenge for Figma. But I am sure they will find a solution. Perhaps they will create a database of existing designs for comparison, or develop an algorithm that will generate only unique layouts. In any case, this is an interesting case for the entire industry. 🚀