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Figma's AI Facelift: Designing the Future or Robot Takeover?

Figma's AI Facelift: Designing the Future or Robot Takeover?

Googl, Instagram & more ...

AI shenanigans are in full swing, folks! This week, we're serving up a smorgasbord of digital drama that'll make you question reality, your design skills, and possibly your political ads. Ready for a wild ride through the AI wonderland? Grab your virtual seatbelt – it's gonna be a bumpy one! 🎢

But before we dive into the tech soup du jour, a little shameless self-promotion: We've officially joined the viral club! Our @automation_xyz Twitter account just dropped its first internet-breaking post. Haven't seen it yet? Scoot over to https://x.com/automation_xyz and feast your eyes. Who knows? You might catch our next tweet before it goes supernova! 🚀

😇 What NOT to worry

Your Insta photos getting an AI stamp of approval. Turns out, even the White House can't escape the "Made with AI" label. It's just Meta being extra meta.
Figma finally joining the AI party. Your design skills aren't obsolete; they're just getting a robotic sidekick.

😢 What TO worry

Big Tech's sneaky "hiring" practices. When Amazon and Microsoft start "not acquiring" AI startups, it's time to raise an eyebrow (or two).
Political ads getting an AI makeover. Google's new checkbox might make you check your reality twice.

Rewards

Feeling creatively stuck? Share this newsletter with a friend and unlock 10 advanced prompts that'll jumpstart your imagination. It's like a creative caffeine shot, minus the jitters. Plus, you'll be saving your friend from another night of mindless scrolling. Win-win, right? Don't let your muse keep hitting the snooze button - act now!

AI

Instagram Backpedals on 'AI Made' Label Snafu

Instagram's new "Made with AI" label caused an uproar after slapping the tag on real photos that were simply edited in Photoshop. Even a White House photog's 40-year-old film pic got flagged!

After complaints, Meta renamed the label to "AI Info" to indicate potential AI involvement rather than full generation. Turns out, it's tricky for platforms to interpret editing metadata.

While tools to differentiate AI vs. authentic images are in the works, Instagram's labeling misstep shows there are still kinks to iron out. For now, don't panic if your #nofilter post gets an AI asterisk.

Design

Figma Gets an AI Facelift (Finally)

Figma, the beloved design tool, just got an AI makeover. Teased at their annual conference, Figma is rolling out a suite of generative AI features to help designers automate tasks like creating UI mockups, organizing layers, and turning wireframes into prototypes - all with a few clever prompts.

But wait, there's more! Figma Slides brings AI-powered presentations, while developers get new toys to bridge the designer-coder gap.

With rivals like Adobe XD already flaunting AI muscles, it was only a matter of time until Figma joined the robot revolution. Will AI finally make designers obsolete, or just level up their workflows? Time will tell.

Marketing

Google Ads' New "Altered or Synthetic Content" Checkbox

Google is cracking down on political ads using AI-generated content. A new checkbox will require advertisers to disclose if their ads contain "altered or synthetic content" depicting people or events.

For certain ad formats, Google will auto-generate a disclosure. Others will need to include their own prominent disclosure, like "This video was synthetically generated."

Google is also expanding its definition of election ads to include ads featuring current elected officials and candidates at federal, state and US territory levels.

Another step towards transparency (and red tape) as AI-generated political ads become the new battleground.

Tech

How Amazon's "Hiring" of Adept AI Skirted Antitrust Scrutiny

Amazon just "hired" most of the team behind AI startup Adept in a move that looks suspiciously like an acquisition disguised as something else. Sound familiar? It's the same playbook Microsoft used with Inflection AI.

With Big Tech no longer allowed to gobble up companies like they used to, they've resorted to a new tactic: the reverse acquihire. Hire the team, license the tech, and voila - you've swallowed a startup without those pesky regulators catching on.

As the AI race heats up, expect to see more of these totally-not-acquisitions. After all, capitalism always finds a way.