AI-powered app design feature found stealing other designs : Tech : Tech Times

Figma AI’s artificial intelligence-powered app design feature, dubbed “Make Design,” has reportedly been removed by its developers after users discovered it produced app mockups that looked a lot like existing software.

As noted on X, Make Design produces mockups that look like Apple apps. In one case, a weather app submitted to Make Design produced a prototype that was nearly identical to Apple’s Weather app.

In a post on X, Figma CEO Dylan Field claimed that “Make Design” combines commercially available learning modules with design systems they commissioned for use by these models, explaining why the feature has led to counterfeits.

When asked whether Make Design received any direct training from Apple’s app designers, sources reportedly asked Figma CTO Kris Rasmussen; Rasmussen could not definitively answer.

Read also: Microsoft’s AI chief sparks controversy with ‘free software’ claims

Make Design’s AI models

Rasmussen says the two main AI models behind Make Designs are Amazon’s Titan Image Generator G1 and OpenAI’s GPT-4o.

Let’s assume that Figma didn’t develop its own AI tools. In that case, OpenAI and Amazon’s models continue to generate clones of Apple apps, suggesting that the models were likely trained on Apple designs. Neither OpenAI nor Amazon immediately responded to a request for comment.

Rasmussen said that while Figma was transparent with its consumers about its AI training policies, which it unveiled last week, it would not want to do training to improve its features. Users now have until August 15 to choose whether or not to allow Figma to use their content for training purposes under those policies.

Lawsuits over AI training data

AI training continues to be controversial, as most court cases point out that AI-based apps use copyrighted works when training to generate their “own” content. Fortunately for Figma AI, no lawsuits have yet been filed against its app, although users have already discovered its “Make Design” feature.

The Record Industry Association of America (RIAA), on behalf of Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Records, recently filed a lawsuit claiming that Figma AI could end up resembling AI-powered music generators from Udio and Sunio, both of which allegedly train on copyrighted works.

The RIAA claims that some of the tracks sound too much like contemporary popular music. Okay, it says that Udio’s generator contains songs that sound a lot like the Beach Boys’ “I Get Around” and Abba’s “Dancing Queen,” and that Suno has composed music that samples Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” and Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B.”

The RIAA is seeking $150,000 for each song infringed. When asked if there was any potential infringement, Suno and Udio claimed the information was proprietary to the company. Many AI companies have argued that using data to train their models constitutes fair use rather than copyright infringement.

According to a statement from RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier, unlicensed companies like Suno and Udio claim that it is “fair” to reproduce an artist’s work and use it for profit without providing credit or permission.

Related article: OpenAI faces scrutiny over AI training data practices

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