Canva drives AI experience in nation

China's fast-growing digital economy and creative user base are reinforcing the confidence of global firms, and online graphic design firm Canva is intensifying its latest artificial intelligence-powered innovations in the market, a senior executive of the Sydney-based company said.

At this year's China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing, Canva teamed up with Australian tech firm Sencity to set up an interactive AI-powered photo and design experience zone, attracting visitors to see firsthand how AI can simplify design processes and boost creative efficiency.

"The country has a rapidly growing digital user base with a strong passion for self-expression and creation, while placing great emphasis on user experience," said Wang Kexin, general manager of Canva China.

Since its entry into China in 2018, the company has witnessed fast adoption backed by the market's huge user base, she added. "The Chinese market is full of vitality and creativity, and it has always been one of the markets we value most."

Chinese users have generated more than 600 million designs so far, with 10 new works created every second on its platform.

"Our operational experience in China may offer many insights for our headquarters in Australia due to its enormous user base and application scenarios. When the headquarters designs new products, a significant part takes into account experiences from the Chinese market," Wang said.

On the corporate side, the executive said that the company has observed demand rising strongly from sectors such as smart manufacturing, retail, technology, education and hospitality.

"Over the past four years, Canva's enterprise customer base in China has expanded by 800 percent. China is one of Canva's most important markets. We aim to combine leading AI technologies with the real needs of Chinese users to make our models more attuned to the Chinese language and cultural context," she added.

The company plans to further invest in the local market, mainly in three areas — optimizing AI experiences in Chinese, expanding localized content and templates and strengthening its open community ecosystem that connects creators, developers and enterprises, Wang noted.