TL; DR
Canva unveiled the Connected App for Google Gemini at Google I/O, completing its integration with all four major AI assistants. The tool allows users to create branded, editable designs from Gemini prompts with Magic Layers, which converts AI images into layered files.
Canva has spent the last year quietly incorporating it into every major AI assistant. He came first Claudethen ChatGPT then Microsoft Copilot. Now Google Gemini is getting the same treatment and the strategy is complete.
Company Google has launched its Connected Program for Gemini At Google I/O, Gemini lets users create, edit, and search for Canva designs right from the chat. The integration began rolling out on May 19 with limited availability and will expand to full availability in the coming weeks.
The pitch is flat. Type a query in Gemini and Canva generates a design that comes as a fully editable file, not as a flat image. If the user has a Canva Brand Kit configured, the output automatically applies the saved logos, fonts and color palettes from the first request.
The most technically interesting piece is the integration with Google’s Nano Banana image model. Users can create an image using Gemini’s native capabilities and then transform it into a layered, editable design using Canva’s Magic Layers tool. This solves the constant frustration with AI-generated visuals: they’re usually flat files that require a re-request for every small change. Magic Layers analyzes the image structure and breaks it down into individual, movable elements.
“We make design accessible where people start,” said Anwar Haneef, head of ecosystem at Canva. The result is clear. Canva no longer sees itself as a target. It sees itself as infrastructure.
The release of Gemini means that Canva’s design engine is now included in all four majors AI assistants: Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini. Each integration works through Canva’s API, allowing the assistant to create a design, call brand kit search and template search without the user leaving the chat.
Time is important. Google unveiled Pics at I/O 2026, a competing AI design tool built directly into Workspace that creates graphics from text prompts. Adobe’s Firefly has 41 percent business adoption. And Figma just launched its own AI agent that designs on canvas. Canva’s answer is to make its tools available everywhere, rather than fighting for a single surface.
This approach pays off commercially. Canva reported on this almost every marketer in its latest survey, while consumers still want the human touch, they are using artificial intelligence for part of their workflow. The company now claims 220 million users globally, and launched its AI 2.0 platform in March as a complete operating system for creating visual content.
Canva AI 2.0 now connects to Slack, Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, Notion, Zoom and HubSpot through six intelligent workflows. It can create meeting summaries from Zoom transcripts, turn customer emails into personalized sales materials, and create company newsletters. The Gemini integration adds another surface to that grid.
The risk for Canva is commoditization. If each AI assistant can produce decent visuals natively, the cost of a dedicated design tool is reduced. Google Images, Creating an image of OpenAIand Adobe’s Firefly are all improving rapidly. Canva’s argument is that brand consistency, editability and template ecosystems still matter more than raw generation quality, and its ubiquity makes it hard to replace.
