Figma introduces AI-powered assistant for its collaborative design canvas

Figma is expanding its artificial intelligence capabilities with the launch of a new AI-powered assistant that works directly within its collaborative design canvas. The announcement comes after several months of increased AI investment by the company, including partnerships with major AI developers to integrate advanced coding and design workflows.

In recent months, Figma has partnered with Anthropic and OpenAI to add support for AI command-line tools such as Claude Code and Codex. These integrations allow users to work with AI-assisted coding environments alongside Figma's design platform, helping bridge the gap between product design and software development.

The company is now introducing its own AI-driven functionality through a new intelligent agent that operates directly inside Figma's collaborative workspace. Rather than relying solely on external AI tools, users can interact with the assistant directly within the design environment.

According to Figma, the new AI agent can be controlled using natural-language text prompts. Users can describe what they want to create or modify, and the assistant can generate entirely new designs, modify existing projects, or automate repetitive tasks that would otherwise require manual effort.

The AI assistant can also help create multiple versions of an existing design, making it easier for teams to explore different ideas and concepts without rebuilding projects from scratch. In addition, users can launch multiple AI agents simultaneously, allowing multiple tasks to be completed at the same time across a project.

Figma says one of the assistant's distinguishing features is its understanding of design-specific contexts and elements. The company explains that AI models power the technology fine-tuned for design-related tasks, enabling the system to interpret layouts, visual structures, interface components, and creative workflows more effectively.

The goal is to accelerate collaboration while reducing the time teams spend on repetitive, time-consuming design activities"

"As building software gets easier, what matters most is setting direction: deciding what to work on, how it should function, what the experience should feel like," said Loredana Crisan in a statement.

She added that teams can now work directly alongside AI agents on Figma's multiplayer canvas, using them to test concepts, explore edge cases, visualise ideas, and refine projects together while spending less time on routine tasks"

"Teams can now collaborate with agents on the multiplayer canvas to test out ideas, visualise edge cases, and refine concepts together without over-indexing on the more tedious part," Crisan said.

The new assistant will initially be available within Figma Design, the company's primary design product. However, Figma plans to expand the technology across its broader portfolio of applications gradually.

The company also indicated that one of its long-term goals is to bring design and software development closer together within its ecosystem. By combining AI-assisted design creation with coding workflows, Figma hopes to streamline the process of transforming concepts into finished digital products.

The launch arrives at a time of increasing competition in the design software market. Figma faces challenges from a growing list of competitors, including Canva, Adobe, Flora, Krea, and Dessn, many of which are also investing heavily in artificial intelligence features.

To strengthen its market position, Figma has continued to expand its capabilities through acquisitions and product updates. Last year, the company acquired Weavy, a node-based design platform, and has since introduced additional image-editing features across its product lineup.

Despite ongoing concerns that artificial intelligence could reduce demand for traditional design work and the software designers rely on, Figma's business performance has remained strong. The company reported revenue of $333.4 million in the first quarter of 2026, representing a 46% increase from the same period a year earlier.

The strong growth suggests that demand for collaborative design tools continues to expand, even as AI becomes a larger part of the creative process. With its new AI assistant, Figma aims to lead the next generation of design software, combining human creativity with AI-driven automation in a shared collaborative workspace.