The update brings the world’s first AI model built to understand design, alongside a suite of new products and tools to simplify how individuals and businesses create, collaborate, and grow.

The platform’s new foundation, the Canva Design Model, is the result of years of research and training on real design elements. Unlike typical image generators, this model comprehends structure, layers, and layout logic, allowing users to generate editable, on-brand designs across multiple formats, from presentations to videos, within seconds.

“As knowledge becomes more and more accessible, we believe we’re moving from the Information Era to the Imagination Era, a time when creativity has never been more critical. We’ve been thinking about how we can empower our community to succeed in this era, which is why we’re incredibly excited to unveil our biggest launch yet with the all-in-one Creative Operating System,” said Melanie Perkins, Canva co-founder and CEO.

Smarter Visual Suite and New Creation Tools

At the core of Canva’s Creative Operating System is a reimagined Visual Suite that pushes what users can achieve without needing deep design expertise. 

The update features Video 2.0, a rebuilt editor designed to remove complexity while introducing automation through tools like Magic Video, allowing users to turn ideas into polished content instantly.

Canva has also rolled out Email Design, a long-requested feature that lets marketing teams build fully branded emails directly within the platform and export them in HTML. 

Forms can now be embedded in any design, enabling creators to collect responses seamlessly, while Canva Code and Canva Sheets now work together to turn raw data into interactive visual widgets that update in real time.

AI That Understands Design

Beyond functionality, Canva’s new AI system, now deeply embedded across every workflow, allows users to generate or modify text, graphics, videos, and even 3D objects without leaving the canvas. 

Its intelligent Ask @Canva feature acts as a design assistant, ready to offer instant suggestions or edits directly within projects.

Robert Kawalsky, Canva’s global head of Product, described the innovation as a response to real user needs:

“What we’ve found is that people want the ability to start with a prompt and get far, but also be able to iterate directly themselves.”

Expanding Into Marketing and Business Growth

With Canva Grow, the company now provides an integrated marketing platform that enables users to create, publish, and track campaigns across social media platforms like Meta. 

The tool analyses engagement in real time, using AI to improve campaigns automatically based on performance data.

Supporting this is Canva’s Brand System, which brings assets, templates, fonts, and colours directly into the editor, maintaining brand consistency across teams. A new plan, Canva Business, bridges the gap between the Pro and Enterprise tiers, offering advanced analytics, extended AI capacity, and collaborative tools for growing teams.

Affinity Now Free Forever

In one of its most interesting moves, Canva announced that Affinity, the professional design suite it acquired last year, will now be free forever. 

The upgraded Affinity merges vector, pixel, and layout tools under one interface, providing a seamless experience for professional designers. The integration allows users to move assets directly from Affinity into Canva for team collaboration, publishing, and scaling.

The Future of Creative Work

With more than 260 million monthly active users and serving 95% of the Fortune 500, Canva is becoming a central hub for creativity and business growth. Its $3.5 billion in annualised revenue and $42 billion valuation shows the global interest for simplified, accessible design solutions.

The investment, led by Prosus Ventures, is one of the largest early-stage AI investments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The company, founded in 2023 by ex-Google and DeepMind engineers Morteza Ibrahimi, Ahmad Khwileh, and Dina Alsamhan, is developing AI-powered agents that help online retailers automate content creation, marketing, and customer engagement. 

According to Qeen.ai, its AI solutions have already reached over 15 million users and generated one million product descriptions, contributing to a 30% increase in sales for merchants using its platform.

The e-commerce sector in MENA is projected to reach $50 billion by 2025, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the expansion. While global e-commerce currently accounts for 15% to 20% of retail sales, Qeen.ai believes this figure could grow if merchants optimise their operations beyond paid advertising.

“We worked with a client to optimise their content and SEO. After using our AI plugins, their search volume increased by 40%, and their Google ranking improved from 22 to 18—all with zero manual effort. The entire process was fully autonomous,” said Ibrahimi.

Qeen.ai’s AI technology personalises content dynamically based on user behaviour and device type. For example, mobile users may receive concise bullet-point summaries, while desktop users get detailed descriptions.

AI-powered marketing tools have gained global traction, with companies in the US and Europe offering similar solutions. However, Qeen.ai is targeting an underserved market by prioritising MENA before expanding internationally.

“One of the most exciting things we’ve seen is the quality of AI talent here,” said Ibrahimi. “We’ve attracted great talent both locally and internationally—people have left the Bay Area, Europe, and the UK to come here and build with us.”

The company operates on a subscription-based model, charging merchants per active SKU for content automation and on a per-interaction basis for AI-driven marketing services. Notable clients include Dubai Store, 6th Street, and Jumia.

With a team of over 25 employees across the UAE and Jordan, Qeen.ai plans to use its latest funding to expand its AI capabilities, scale its workforce, and attract more e-commerce businesses. Investors in this round include Wamda Capital, 10X Founders Fund, and Dara Holdings.

Having raised a total of $12 million within a year, Qeen.ai is boosting the AI-driven growth of online retail in the region.