Canva apologizes after its AI tool replaces 'Palestine' in designs

· ai · Source ↗

TLDR

  • Canva’s Magic Layers AI feature was caught swapping the word “Palestine” for “Ukraine” in user designs before a fix was issued.

Key Facts

  • The bug was first surfaced by X user @ros_ie9, who found “cats for Palestine” auto-replaced with “cats for Ukraine.”
  • Related terms like “Gaza” were reportedly unaffected; the substitution appeared specific to “Palestine.”
  • Canva spokesperson Louisa Green confirmed the issue was resolved and said additional checks are being put in place.
  • Other users replicated the bug before the fix; Canva’s own post-fix tests showed no further alterations.

Why It Matters

  • Magic Layers is a flagship part of Canva’s recent AI overhaul, making a politically sensitive content substitution a high-visibility stumble.
  • The incident raises questions about how AI design tools screen or filter text content during automated image processing.

Jess Weatherbed, The Verge · 2026-04-27 · Read the original