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Issue no.6: The prompt

Figma
An illustration shows a robot doing a backbend, creating an arch structure that supports someone on a swing.An illustration shows a robot doing a backbend, creating an arch structure that supports someone on a swing.

As with many new technologies, learning to use AI amounts to learning about ourselves.

Share Issue no.6: The prompt

Hero illustration by Kyle Platts

What parts of our craft do we hold closest? Where do we want our skills and creativity to flex? Leaders in design, engineering, and product development sound off in The Prompt

Welcome to The Prompt

AI promises to reinvigorate the way we design and build, but how we realize that potential is still an open question. By answering a series of prompts, leaders in this rapidly evolving field take stock of where we stand, what the limits are, and where we’re bound to grow.

, a print and digital magazine by Figma’s Story Studio and Brand Studio—also available in the Figma Store. While you wait for your copy to arrive, dive into the stories below for a considered look at how AI might influence the way we build digital products.

An illustration of a bird’s head coming up out of a hole. It’s wearing a top hat and holding an envelope in its beak.An illustration of a bird’s head coming up out of a hole. It’s wearing a top hat and holding an envelope in its beak.

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What does good design mean now?

With AI in the picture, it’s a more salient question than ever. Figma Vice President of Product Design, Noah Levin, and his team share their long-held craft principles and pragmatic approach to building with AI.

An abstract illustration of distorted trees raised on poles over a gradient background.An abstract illustration of distorted trees raised on poles over a gradient background.

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What is good design in the age of AI?

As AI democratizes product development, design will be the differentiator. But what exactly does “good” look like, and what does it mean for our craft?

What can’t be commoditized?

Being an engineer is about more than just outputting code, argues Figma Chief Technology Officer Kris Rasmussen: “It’s also about knowing which problems to solve and how to solve them.” His team reflects on how AI can foreground the art of the role.

An abstract illustration of colorful, tessellated bird shapes that grow more stretched as they rise.An abstract illustration of colorful, tessellated bird shapes that grow more stretched as they rise.

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Why are we so afraid of code as a commodity?

Instead of asking how AI will automate our jobs, we should be focusing on what we, as engineers, uniquely do well. What problems can AI currently solve, and where is the whitespace to go beyond that?

What are you afraid to ask?

Co-founder and CEO Aravind Srinivas calls his AI-powered search engine, Perplexity, a direct descendant of print encyclopedias and wikis—in other words, a source of judgment-free answers. In this interview, he describes how it works, what still needs improvement, and why human curiosity could use a copilot.

Illustration of a conductor waving a baton at a robot playing the cello with a coastal landscape in the background. Illustration of a conductor waving a baton at a robot playing the cello with a coastal landscape in the background.

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An illustration of a conductor waving a baton in front of a robot playing the celloAn illustration of a conductor waving a baton in front of a robot playing the cello

What would you ask if no one could judge you?

Co-founder and CEO Aravind Srinivas wants Perplexity to be not only a resource, but an engine for curiosity.

Are we in the age of androids?

From Blade Runner to Star Wars, humanoid robots have long starred in the stories we tell about ourselves. Now, as androids step out of science fiction and into reality, we’re coming face to face with our fascination with AI. We sat down with builders of bots to learn what comes of embodied tech.

An illustration of a human form made up of pointillistic blue and purple dots.An illustration of a human form made up of pointillistic blue and purple dots.

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Illustrating Illustrating

Are we finally entering the age of androids?

Humanoid robots are here, and they’re asking us to come face to face with the promises and pitfalls of AI.

What is the power of print?

We aimed to find out with The Prompt, an 80-page magazine created in collaboration with Brand Studio and designer Chloe Scheffe. Printed on vellum, it interprets the issue’s themes through color, illustration, layout, and materiality. Limited-edition copies are available in the Figma Store.

A spread from a magazine shows an illustration of a person with a watering can for a head typing at a computer. A plant grows out of the monitor, sprouting flowers and dropping an apple into the person’s free hand. The next page is a title page reading, “Is efficiency the enemy of creativity?” A spread from a magazine shows an illustration of a person with a watering can for a head typing at a computer. A plant grows out of the monitor, sprouting flowers and dropping an apple into the person’s free hand. The next page is a title page reading, “Is efficiency the enemy of creativity?”

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Rabbit hole

A collage shows 1) a black and white illustration of a flower, 2) an illustration of two hands reaching for each other, one of which has six fingers, and 3) an pixelated illustration of a smiling robotA collage shows 1) a black and white illustration of a flower, 2) an illustration of two hands reaching for each other, one of which has six fingers, and 3) an pixelated illustration of a smiling robot

1. Data points back to people. Director of User Experience Machine Learning at Google, Ovetta Sampson, double-clicks on minimum viable data

What is minimum viable data?

As many focus on the possibilities and limitations of AI tools and their output, Ovetta Sampson reminds us to pay attention to the power of the input.

and the ethics of input.

2. The creators of the Arc browser agree: Building anew means building for many—and that means opening up the tech echo chamber

Illustration mimicking Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam with a zoomed-in inset showing the hands have too many fingersIllustration mimicking Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam with a zoomed-in inset showing the hands have too many fingers

Can we reach beyond the echo chamber?

Two creatives behind the browser that’s breaking the internet discuss what Zadie Smith, A24, and sunspots have to do with building a product.

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3. How can AI reshape the physical realm? Icon co-founder and CEO Jason Ballard is starting with 3D-printed homes

Should robots be building our homes?

Jason Ballard, co-founder and CEO of Icon, explains why AI and his fleet of 3D-printing robots may be our ticket to more affordable housing.

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The last word

A handwritten quote from Nashilu Mouen, Head of Storytelling at The Browser Company: "You can't build anew if you're just looking at what exists."A handwritten quote from Nashilu Mouen, Head of Storytelling at The Browser Company: "You can't build anew if you're just looking at what exists."

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