The Magic Layers feature is beginning positively. One of Canva’s new AI features has been caught replacing the word “Palestine” in designs. The Magic Layers feature, intended to divide flat images into separate editable components, is not supposed to make visible changes to user designs. However, it was discovered by X user @ros_ie9 to automatically change the phrase “cats for Palestine” to “cats for Ukraine.”
The problem seemed specific to the word “Palestine,” as @ros_ie9 noted that related terms like “Gaza” were not affected. Canva states the issue has been resolved and steps are being taken to prevent a recurrence.
“We were made aware of an issue with our Magic Layers feature and quickly moved to investigate and fix it,” Canva spokesperson Louisa Green told The Verge. “We take such reports seriously, and additional checks are in place to prevent future occurrences. We apologize for any distress this may have caused.”
Replies to the now-viral X post suggest that other users could replicate the bug before Canva fixed it, though my tests did not show any words—Palestine or otherwise—being altered by the feature.
Nevertheless, this is a significant blunder, especially for a platform attempting to compete with Adobe’s suite of AI-powered design tools. Magic Layers is a key component of Canva’s recent AI overhaul, which it claims marks “the beginning of the next era of creation.”