Canva's Magic Layers feature automatically replaced the word "Palestine" in user designs - and Canva has since issued an apology.
Magic Layers is designed to analyze a flat image and separate it into individual editable layers - splitting text from background, for instance - without touching the content itself. But a user discovered the feature was silently swapping out "Palestine" in their designs. Canva confirmed the issue to The Verge and called it unintentional.
No public explanation has been given for what caused the substitution, how long it was active, or what text replaced "Palestine." An AI feature silently altering politically sensitive words, with no visible warning to the user, is a serious credibility problem. Design tools are supposed to execute your instructions faithfully. When an AI layer starts making content decisions you didn't ask for, there's no way to know what else it might quietly change.
Anyone creating designs with exact wording requirements - political content, advocacy materials, client deliverables - should manually verify every word in the final export.