Figma uses AI to transform digital design

Our new Executive Function series features perspectives from leaders driving transformation through AI.

Figma is where teams come together to turn ideas into the world’s best digital products and experiences. We spoke with Figma’s David Kossnick, Head of AI Products, about the impact of AI in design, empowering creativity, and building AI fluency for Figma employees. 

You’ve described AI as both a platform shift and a core capability. How is AI changing design, and how is Figma positioning itself in that transformation?

As AI makes it easier than ever to create digital products, great design will increasingly be a key differentiator. But design isn’t just pixels; it’s craft: empathy, workflow understanding, and problem-solving.

That’s why AI is embedded throughout Figma—from in-product text editing and image generation to auto-renaming layers and site visuals—helping make creation faster, more intuitive, and accessible to more people.

At the same time, AI is also a platform shift. Figma is purpose-built for building digital products. This lets us rethink workflows from first principles.

One example is Figma Make⁠(opens in a new window)—a prompt-to-app tool that generates production-grade code from language, images, or structured frames. It gives coders and non-coders alike—designers, PMs, engineers, marketers—a way to go further, to prototype and express ideas without being blocked by technical barriers.

There’s a lot of talk about AI as a co-pilot, not a replacement. How do you see that dynamic empowering creativity?

Figma stands out for its deep commitment to craft—giving users full control to refine every detail. With AI, we’ve expanded beyond the visual layer to include language, visual, and code—adding tools like a code composer and “code layers” that let users write and publish AI-assisted code natively.

“One of the really exciting things about AI agents is they can get you really far, do a lot of the busy work, get you started.”

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