Did Figma's AI assistant steal from Apple? Tool gets pulled
What's the story
Figma, a design software firm, has retracted its new tool, Make Designs, due to allegations that it generates designs remarkably similar to Apple's iOS weather app. The decision came after Not Boring Software CEO Andy Allen pointed out the resemblance in a post on X. Allen advised designers to thoroughly examine existing apps or significantly alter the results to evade potential legal complications.
Response
CEO responds to mimicry accusations
Figma's CEO, Dylan Field, addressed the controversy in a thread on X. Field defended the company's AI tool development approach and denied allegations of data training. He stated that the Make Designs facility "is not trained on Figma content, community files or app designs," and identified low variability as an issue with their approach.
Future
Figma CTO discusses AI training
Figma's CTO, Kris Rasmussen, clarified in an interview that the company did not train the AI models used in Make Designs. He explained that the features are "powered by off-the-shelf models and a bespoke design system that we commissioned," which seems to be at the heart of the issue. Rasmussen also revealed Figma's intention to train its own AI tools after openly communicating its AI training policies with users.
Policies
Figma's AI training policies and future precautions
Figma introduced its AI training policies last week, giving users until August 15 to decide if they want their content used for Figma's training. Rasmussen stated that the company sees opportunities to "perfect your design workflows by teaching these models how to design in the context of Figma." He assured that steps would be taken to ensure their own models learn general design patterns, as well as specific Figma design concepts.
Supervision
Figma reviews design system
Rasmussen stated that Figma is currently reviewing its bespoke design system, to ensure it has enough variation and meets its quality standards. Additional precautions will be taken before re-enabling Make Designs to align with the firm's quality standards and values. Despite the recent hiccup, Figma plans to reactivate Make Designs soon, while other AI facilities will continue to be available in beta.