Canva has recently announced the acquisition of Leonardo.ai, an Australian artificial intelligence startup known for its impressive capabilities in generating images and videos and creating visual assets using its proprietary Phoenix foundation model. With features like AI-powered upscaling, inline editing, and real-time image generation, Leonardo.ai offers a robust set of tools that fit well with Canvas suite of creative resources. This latest move marks Canva’s eighth acquisition, following Affinity in 2024, Flourish in 2022, Kaleido and Smartmockups in 2021, and both Pexels and Pixabay in 2019, along with Zeetings in 2018.
In a recent newsroom post, Canva revealed its plans for integrating Leonardo.ai's technology while allowing the startup to continue developing its own web platform. This approach mirrors Canva’s strategy with its previous acquisitions, such as Affinity. Canva plans to incorporate Leonardo.ai’s Phoenix AI model into its Magic Studio tools, enhancing the platform's image and video generation performance. Beyond integrating the technology, Canva will support Leonardo.ai by injecting financial resources, expertise, and licensed content from the Canva Creators program.
Leonardo.ai is renowned for enabling users to generate images in various styles, from hyper-realistic and character portraits to anime and painterly styles. The platform offers real-time image generation, AI-powered upscaling, and inline image editing capabilities. While there is a premium tier offering advanced features, the free tier still allows users to create a limited number of images and videos.
According to Canva, Leonardo's Phoenix foundation model excels in prompt adherence, accurate text generation in images, and the ability to create production-ready assets in one go. However, specific details about the model's architecture or its training data have not been disclosed. Founded in 2022, Leonardo.ai has grown rapidly, amassing over 19 million registered users in just two years. Canva envisions that this acquisition will not only enhance its own service offerings but also expand Leonardo’s burgeoning user base.