Figma chief says AI is reshaping design and product building

Figma used its annual Config conference to make a blunt case that AI is no longer just speeding up routine work, it is changing who stands out. Chief executive Dylan Field said, “I think if you have a creative voice in writing or design, you put yourself out there and you take a risk - this is a good time to do that,” framing originality and craft as the traits that can still separate designers and product builders in an era of faster drafts and easier prototypes.

Config 2026 ran June 23-25 at Moscone Center in San Francisco, with Field set for the opening keynote on June 24 from 9:00 to 10:20 a.m. PDT. Figma said the keynote would focus on how design and product-building are changing and how teams should rethink product development from the ground up, a sign that the company wants the AI conversation to center not on novelty, but on the structure of modern product work.

That message also ran through Figma’s State of the Designer 2026 report, which examined what designers need to succeed in the AI era. Figma said more than half of designers and hiring managers now view AI design skills as essential. It also said 91% of designers who embraced AI in the last year reported that it helped them create better designs, while 89% said it helped them work faster.

The numbers reinforce a broader shift that employers and creators are already feeling: AI is lowering the barrier to entry, but it is also making taste, judgment and execution more valuable. Figma has argued that the technology widens participation in the design process, while still demanding craft, quality and intention from the people using it. In practical terms, that means the first pass is easier to produce, but the stronger work still depends on deciding what deserves to survive.

Field made a similar argument in March 2025 in a conversation with Y Combinator president Garry Tan, when he said design has an opportunity to differentiate software in the age of AI. He has also said product building can begin from several entry points, including a terminal, prompt box, visual UI or sketch, with the canvas serving as the place where those workflows come together. Taken together, Figma’s conference messaging and its research point to the same conclusion: as generative tools commoditize routine output, the durable advantage belongs to the people who can combine speed with a recognizable point of view.