Figma Make Designs, a tool that uses generative AI, has sparked controversy due to the similarity of the generated layouts to Apple's Weather app. Figma has temporarily removed the feature and promises to fix the bugs.
Figma scandal
Design similarity problem
Figma Make Designs, a tool that can create app mockups in seconds using generative artificial intelligence, has come under the spotlight due to the extreme similarity of some of its results to Apple's weather app.
Figma management reaction
The head of Figma, Dylan Field, announced on his X account that the program was temporarily removed. He took responsibility for the situation, explaining that the team's tight deadlines could have led to mistakes.
(1) As we shared at Config last week — as well as on our blog, our website, and many other touchpoints — the Make Design feature is not trained on Figma content, community files or app designs. In other words, the accusations around data training in this tweet are false. https://t.co/jlfmroPPhm
— Dylan Field (@zoink) July 2, 2024
Similarity Show
Andy Allen, the head of Not Boring Software, clearly demonstrated on social networks how Figma Make Designs copies the design of Apple Weather:
Figma AI looks rather heavily trained on existing apps.
This is a “weather app” using the new Make Designs feature and the results are basically Apple's Weather app (left). Tried three times, same results. https://t.co/Ij20OpPCer pic.twitter.com/psFTV6daVD
— Andy Allen (@asallen) July 1, 2024
CTO Explains
In an interview with The Verge, Figma CTO Chris Rasmussen commented on the situation, stating that Make Designs was not trained in Apple app design. According to him, the functions are provided by ready-made models and a specially ordered design system.
AI Models Used
Rasmussen indicated that the key AI models used in Make Designs are GPT-4o from OpenAI and Titan Image Generator G1 from Amazon. This statement raised questions about the possible training of these models on Apple developments.
Plans to fix and bring back the feature
Figma emphasized that Make Designs was in beta, which "is definition is imperfect." After eliminating the shortcomings and possible retraining, the function is planned to be returned to users.
New AI Training Policy
Figma recently introduced its AI Training Policy. According to it, users have until August 15 to decide whether to provide their content. Opt-in is set by default for the Starter and Professional plans, and disabled for the Organization and Enterprise plans.
Glossary
- Figma is a popular online service for interface development and prototyping
- Make Designs - Figma tool for automatic creation of layouts using AI
- Apple Weather - official weather application from Apple
- OpenAI - artificial intelligence research laboratory
- Amazon is the world's largest e-commerce and cloud computing company
Links
- https://t. co/jlfmroPPhm
- https://twitter.com/zoink/status/1808045655082033483?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
- https://t.co/Ij20OpPCer
- https://t.co/psFTV6daVD
- https://twitter.com/asallen/status/1807675146020454808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
- https ://www.theverge.com/2024/7/2/24190823/figma-ai-tool-apple-weather-app-copy
Answers to questions
What happened to the Figma Make Designs tool?
How does Figma explain the similarity of Make Designs results to Apple's Weather app?
Is Figma planning to bring back the Make Designs feature?
What AI training policy did Figma introduce?
How does Figma respond to accusations of using other people's designs to train AI?
Hashtags
Save a link to this article
Discussion of the topic – Figma scandal: AI tool removed due to similarities with Apple Weather
Figma has removed its new AI tool Make Designs following accusations that it copied Apple's Weather design. Figma's CEO admitted the mistake and took responsibility for the incident.
Latest comments
8 comments
Write a comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are checked *
Isabella
Wow, what a twist with Figma! 😮 I wonder how they will get out of this situation now. Something seems to have gone wrong with their AI.
Hans
Yeah, Isabella, it looks like they screwed up big time 🤦♂️ But I’m surprised how such a cool company could make such an obvious mistake? Didn't anyone check the results before release?
Pierre
I agree with Hans, it looks very unprofessional. But let's look at it from the other side - maybe it's just a coincidence? After all, weather apps are often similar to each other 🤔
Sophia
Pierre, I would agree if this was an isolated case. But Andy Allen showed that the result is repeatable. This doesn't seem like a coincidence anymore 😕 I wonder what consequences this will have for Figma?
Viktor
Ha! Another overblown story about AI. Nothing new, all these are buzzwords and empty promises. It would be better to do something useful, rather than chase trends.
Carmen
Viktor, I understand your skepticism, but the potential of AI cannot be denied. Yes, mistakes happen, but this is part of the development process. Figma has acknowledged the problem and is working on a solution. This shows their responsibility 👍
Luca
I wonder how this will affect user trust in Figma? 🤔 Carmen is right, they reacted quickly, but the aftertaste will probably remain. I hope they learn lessons and improve their product.
Isabella
Luca, I agree. This is clearly a reputational blow, but I believe Figma can rebuild trust. The main thing is to be transparent in your actions and honestly talk about the process of correcting errors. We will monitor developments! 🕵️♀️