Canva really wants to be your best AI friend in the workplace

In the age of generative AI, it seems like every technology company became an AI company overnight. Creative businesses aren’t immune, as Canva proved this week with the launch of what it calls Canva AI 2.0 at its annual Canva Create conference.

Canva is no stranger to artificial intelligence. We’ve been investing in it Special AI design models For years, acquiring artificial intelligence companies such as Leonardo To integrate it into their graphic design program. But this is the strongest sign yet that the company is betting its future on artificial intelligence. Canva’s journey with AI has led to a “really big shift,” Robert Kowalski, global head of product, told CNET.

“We turned the platform upside down,” Kowalski said. “For the past few years, Canva has been a design platform that has AI tools, and now it’s actually an AI platform that has design tools and design capabilities as part of it.”

Canva’s new AI capabilities extend beyond the graphic and social designs the company is known for. It’s introduced a set of third-party integrations, called connectors, so you can access Canva’s AI on Slack, Notion, Zoom, Google apps, and more. The idea is to interact with Canva’s AI like you would with ChatGPT or Copilot, if that’s what you want.

You can set up Canva’s AI for meetings, summarize them, create files, and search the web for insights. You can also schedule it to do agent tasks in advance, such as sending you reminders at the beginning and end of your work days. It also upgrades previous AI launches More business focusedincluding AI coding, spreadsheets and email assistant.

Canva’s updated AI experiences are now launching in research preview, with wider access over the next few weeks.

Canva has always been known as a more beginner-friendly alternative to creative software like Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. It made sense when Canva delved into creative AI, which is often promoted as a way for non-technical or novice creators to quickly create professional-looking content.

but Creative AI is controversialEspecially since many models are built using artists’ work without their permission or compensation. There’s no one-click button to turn off Canva AI, which some creatives might want. But you can adjust your privacy settings to control Canva AI’s access to your data and work.