Figma's AI function creates a UI that looks just like an Apple app, and the function is temporarily disabled



This article, originally posted in Japanese on 11:16 Jul 03, 2024, may contains some machine-translated parts.
If you would like to suggest a corrected translation, please click here.

Figma released the beta version of its AI feature '

Figma AI ,' which can generate UI layouts from text, on June 26, 2024. However, users of Figma AI pointed out that the UI generated was very similar to Apple's apps, leading to the company discontinuing the beta version.




Figma AI is an AI feature announced on June 26, 2024, and includes numerous design creation assistance functions such as 'generate UI layouts from text,' 'enhanced design search function,' 'translate text,' 'generate text for mockups,' and 'automatically change layer names.' Beta testing of Figma AI began on the day of its announcement, and anyone could use it by registering on the waitlist.

Figma releases 'Figma AI', a support tool using generative AI - GIGAZINE



Below is a video of 'Figma AI creating a weather forecast app UI' released by app developer Andy Allen. Just enter 'not boring weather app' to see how the weather forecast app UI is created.




The generated UI is below. A UI similar to Apple's 'Weather' app was generated, with the place name, temperature, daily weather, and daily weather listed from top to bottom.



Allen entered the same text and generated the UI three times, but all three times the UI generated was similar to Apple's weather app. Based on this result, Allen points out that 'Figma AI seems to use existing apps as learning data,' and 'If you use Figma AI, you need to thoroughly verify the similarity with existing apps and make significant changes to the layout so as not to get into legal trouble.'




After Allen's report, Figma CEO Dylan Field quoted Allen's post and said, 'Figma AI is not learning content generated by Figma,' claiming that it is not learning the work of Figma users. He continued, 'Figma AI works by combining an existing large-scale language model with a newly developed design system. The problem with this approach is that it is too variable.'




Field added, 'I identified a problem with the design system within hours of seeing Allen's post,' and 'it is my responsibility that the pressure to meet development deadlines led to us cutting corners on our quality control processes.'




After the issue was discovered, Field CEO decided to temporarily disable Figma AI, and the beta testing of Figma AI will resume after going through a proper quality control process.




Regarding the use of AI in design work, Field said, 'We live in a world where software can be created simply by inputting prompts into large language models. Designers are looking for new tools to explore their possibilities, and Figma intends to create the tools they want. I believe that if we build tools in the right way, we can empower designers to have more creative expression, not less.'




Related Posts:

in Software, Posted by log1o_hf