91% of designers now use AI weekly, tools still shift
Published 19 July 2026 · Source dated 1 February 2026
The State of AI Design report found 91% of designers now use AI at least weekly, up from 54% a year prior. But nearly half still haven't settled on go-to tools — this space hasn't stabilised yet.
The State of AI Design report tracked a real shift: 91% of designers now use AI weekly, up from 54% a year earlier — a 37-point jump. But almost half of respondents say they're still searching for their go-to tools. Claude's reportedly overtaken ChatGPT for many designers, Figma's role in the stack has shifted, and coding tools (not just image generators) are becoming part of the daily process.
For someone on Figma and Penpot, the takeaway isn't "install everything new" — it's that fluency with one or two AI tools, used consistently on real work, beats chasing every release. The market's still shaking out; you don't need to have it figured out either.
Coach
Pick one AI tool you already have access to and use it on a real task this week — note what it actually saved you, not what it promised.
Penpot hype cooled — most teams are still on Figma
A r/web_design thread notes the Penpot-vs-Figma buzz spiked when the Adobe acquisition talks were live, then faded once the deal collapsed. Real migrations are still rare, even among people curious enough to try it.
reddit.com ·
Adoption
A plugin now bridges your Figma and Penpot files
A community-built Figma plugin lets you export files across to Penpot, so you can test the open-source alternative without abandoning your existing Figma work. It's unofficial and early, so treat it as an experiment, not a production workflow.
figma.com ·
Adoption
Penpot is a genuine free alternative, not just a Figma copy
Penpot has matured into a real open-source design tool with layers, prototyping and native CSS/HTML export — useful if you want to understand what Figma abstracts away. It's not replacing Figma for most teams yet, but it's solid enough to actually build in.