Figma’s move to halt Make Design use comes in response to accusations that the tool was mimicking the designs of Apple's Weather app.
Figma's Make Design feature allows developers to generate UI layouts and components from text prompts, providing them with a first draft based on their descriptions.
The feature was introduced at Figma's recent Config conference and was not trained on Figma content, community files, or app designs, Field stated as part of his response.
Figma CEO Dylan Field announced the decision to disable the feature amidst the controversy. The company has faced criticism and scrutiny as a result of these accusations, and it aims to address the concerns raised by the design community.
Concerns Raised by Design Community
The design community has expressed worry about the potential displacement of jobs due to the proliferation of AI tools like Make Design. Some designers argue that these tools may bring digital design to the mass market, which could have a negative impact on employment within the industry.
However, others believe that AI tools can streamline the design process by eliminating repetitive work, allowing designers to focus on more innovative ideas.
Andy Allen, the CEO of Not Boring Software, played a significant role in raising the concerns about Figma's tool. He proposed a claim that Make Design was heavily trained on existing apps and was subsequently denied by Figma's CEO Dylan Field.
He clarified that Figma did not conduct training as part of the generative AI features. Instead, the issues arose from using off-the-shelf models along with a bespoke design system commissioned by Figma.
Allen took to social media platforms to warn designers using the tool to examine current apps carefully or alter the outcomes. to avoid potential legal trouble.
In its rush to stay competitive, the quality assurance work of Figma that should have accompanied the launch of the feature seems to have been ignored. Field acknowledged the issue and took responsibility for not insisting on a better QA process for the work. He cited the tight deadline for Config as a contributing factor to the oversight.
Further details were provided by Kris Rasmussen, the CTO of Figma, in an interview with The Verge. Rasmussen revealed that Figma relies on third-party AI models, specifically OpenAI's GPT-4o and Amazon's Titan Image Generator G1.
The company plans to re-enable the Make Design feature after conducting a thorough quality assurance process to ensure sufficient variation and meet their quality standards.