Canva unveils a new suite of agentic tools as the design app quietly rises to become one of the world’s most used AI services

(SeaPRwire) –   Canva, the Australian design platform with over 265 million users, is introducing a new set of agentic tools that merge visual design with automated workflows, powered by AI agents that operate from conversational commands.

Branded “Canva AI 2.0,” this new service suite enables the creation and modification of designs through natural language. It integrates with platforms such as Gmail, Slack, and Zoom to produce content and features persistent memory, which helps Canva understand user workflows and automatically refresh designs when brand assets are updated.

“We had to rearchitect the whole Canva platform,” states Cliff Olbrecht, the company’s co-founder and COO.

Founded in 2012, Canva added generative AI features to its platform in early 2023, shortly after ChatGPT’s debut. (The company initially hesitated to market these features as “AI,” opting for the term “magic.”)

Olbrecht characterizes Canva’s earlier AI offerings—for generating images, videos, or full presentations—as “a design platform with AI services built on top.” The new tools aim to expand beyond design, providing enhanced collaborative functionalities.

For instance, the updated platform can autonomously scan the web for overnight tech news, identify trending topics, and independently create and schedule social media posts. “It can help you complete your whole job,” Olbrecht remarks.

Canva’s rise in AI

Canva has emerged as one of the globe’s most popular consumer AI applications. Analysis from venture firm a16z ranks it as the third most-used generative AI web product by monthly active users, trailing Google Gemini but ahead of China’s DeepSeek chatbot.

The company’s vast user count has necessitated a strategic approach to offering AI services cost-effectively. “There’s only so long you can fund your user base with VC-funded dollars,” Olbrecht says. “With 265 million monthly users heavily utilizing our services, we must own our models and the infrastructure that supports them.”

Canva has purchased several AI startups recently, including the image generation platform Leonardo AI in 2024. Just last week, it acquired Simtheory, an agent-building platform, and Ortto, a marketing automation firm.

These acquisitions have supported the development of Canva’s own foundational AI models, reducing dependence on third-party technology. The company asserts its AI services are seven times faster and 30 times more economical than “comparable” leading models. Olbrecht also mentions Canva is investigating ways to leverage on-device processing for AI tasks instead of relying solely on cloud computing.

The pricing structure will include multiple tiers. Free users will have access to basic AI tools with limited credits for premium models. Paid plans scale up to $100 monthly, which Olbrecht calls “almost all-you-can-eat,” though some restrictions on the most advanced models will apply.

Software-as-a-service firms have recently faced investor anxiety over competition from AI developers like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. Design software companies are especially vulnerable as ChatGPT and Claude gain advanced image and video generation capabilities.

Adobe’s stock has fallen more than 30% in the past year, while shares of design startup Figma have plummeted nearly 85% from their value at its $1.2 billion IPO.

Privately held Canva reports $3.5 billion in revenue last year. In a November interview with Bloomberg, Olbrecht indicated an IPO is “probably imminent in the next couple of years.”

He notes that, despite the market’s “AI scare trade,” Canva’s shares continue to trade at its last valuation of $42 billion from an employee stock sale last year. “We’ve fortunately avoided being hit by that SaaS apocalypse,” he adds.

However, he acknowledges that fast-evolving technology remains a potential threat. “If we’re not going to disrupt ourselves, then we’re going to be disrupted,” he concludes.