Hit design app Canva expands AI repertoire

Lately, AI is playing an increasingly important role, with many people using it to boost productivity and creativity at work. This is where useful design tools like Canva step in. To expand its AI capabilities, Canva has acquired Leonardo.Ai, a Sydney-based platform specializing in generative AI art.

Canva buys Leonardo.Ai to supercharge its generative AI tools

All 120 employees of Leonardo.Ai, including the executive team, will join Canva and help boost the company’s AI tools. At the same time, the Leonardo.Ai team will continue to develop its web platform for its millions of users, but now, with the added boost of Canva’s financial resources, expertise, and access to licensed content from the Canva Creators program.


Canva isn't a newcomer to AI. Its journey began with the launch of the Background Remover tool in 2019. The company soon followed up with the initial version of its Text to Image tool in 2022. Then, it rolled out a complete set of AI-powered features called Magic Studio in 2023.

According to the company, Magic Studio has been used over 7 billion times since its launch. This year alone, there has been a 40% increase in monthly users tapping into the AI tools for tasks like summarizing documents, creating images, and transforming brainstorming whiteboards into complete presentations.

Canva's acquisition of Leonardo.Ai aims to keep the company at the forefront of innovation in the rapidly changing design and visual AI landscape.