Figma relaunches AI-powered 'First Draft' app generator after initial backlash over fraud

Figma has relaunched its AI-powered app generator, now called "First Draft," after initially introducing it as "Make Designs" in June. The initial release faced criticism for producing designs that closely resembled Apple Weather app. Figma clarified that the tool used off-the-shelf generative AI models and was not trained on customer data.

In response to the feedback, Figma temporarily removed the feature to conduct further testing and refinement. Now in a limited beta phase, First Draft offers more flexible design options, allowing users to choose from four libraries that range from low-fidelity wireframing to high-fidelity design patterns. This change aims to provide "less opinionated" design ideas, making the tool more adaptable to various user needs.

The AI models powering First Draft come from third-party providers like OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Amazon Titan. The tool generates designs based on user prompts and context, incorporating proprietary mobile and desktop design systems. Users input their design goals, and the AI customizes components to create a starting design. Additionally, First Draft integrates with Figma’s Visual Search feature, enhancing the ability to search Figma files via text prompts or images.