Answers to common AI questions — For when your team want convincing

In my video, "Answers to common AI questions — For when your team want convincing," I walk teams through the practical, legal and safety-related questions that come up when you introduce Canva AI into a workplace. I'm part of the Canva team, and I wrote this piece to expand on what I covered there — to serve as a newsroom-style briefing you can share with stakeholders, legal teams, or colleagues who are curious but cautious.

Think of this as a plain-language report from someone inside the product team: what we do, where you have responsibilities, how admins can control access, and the safety measures we build to protect your people and your business. Below you'll find an overview of ownership, commercial use, admin controls, privacy and safety, and practical rollout advice. I also include a detailed FAQ so you can skim for the answers your team is asking right now.

🔎 Ownership of inputs and outputs
💼 Commercial use — can my team use AI-generated designs in business work?
🛠️ Admin controls: how teams manage AI access
🔐 Safety, privacy, and Canva Shield
🧭 Best practices for responsible AI use at work
📚 Where to find the rules — reading Canva’s policies
✋ A step-by-step rollout plan I use with teams
📝 Real-world scenarios and examples
🔁 Troubleshooting and common operational questions
❓ FAQ
✅ Final thoughts

🔎 Ownership of inputs and outputs

I’ll keep this simple: when you use Canva AI, you provide inputs (the things you type or upload) and you get outputs (the images, text, or designs the AI generates). Between you and Canva, both your inputs and outputs are owned by you. That’s the baseline and it's an important one.

However, ownership isn’t the whole story. Ownership exists alongside a set of legal and contractual responsibilities. I always tell teams: owning an asset doesn't mean you have unlimited rights to use that asset in any context without checking other rules. You still need to comply with local laws and the rights of third parties.

"Between you and Canva, both your inputs and outputs are owned by you."

Here are the practical takeaways I share in every briefing:

You own the inputs you upload and the outputs Canva AI generates for you.
You must ensure your inputs and outputs comply with the laws in the places where you operate.
You must respect other people's rights — intellectual property, privacy, and data protection are all still your responsibility.
In some jurisdictions AI-generated content isn't eligible for copyright protection. That can affect whether you have exclusive rights.
You must follow Canva’s terms of use, including the content license agreement, acceptable use policy, and AI product terms.

Why I emphasize this: ownership gives you control, but control comes with obligations. If a generated image accidentally mimics a copyrighted work, or a marketing asset uses someone's trademark without permission, the legal exposure is generally on the person or organization using that asset — not Canva. That’s why I always recommend a quick rights-check before you publish or monetize AI-generated work.

💼 Commercial use — can my team use AI-generated designs in business work?

Short answer: yes, in most cases you can use designs generated with Canva AI for personal or commercial projects, provided you follow our AI product terms and the rest of our terms of use. But “yes” comes with caveats and practical checks I encourage every team to run through.

Here’s how I frame the question for legal teams and marketers:

Commercial use is allowed under Canva’s rules, but Canva does not guarantee that the AI output is free of third-party rights.
You may not have exclusive rights to AI-generated content. That matters if you’re building a trademark, brand identity, or any asset that you intend to own exclusively over time.
When generating imagery or copy that references existing works of art, photographs, logos, or people, you need to verify whether permission or licenses are required.
Always run a rights-and-clearance check before using an AI-generated design in paid advertising, merchandise, or any high-risk commercial environment.

To translate that into a checklist I give to teams:

Does the design include recognisable people, artworks, or logos? If yes, get legal clearance.
Will the design be used in a way that claims origin or exclusivity? If yes, consider whether you need a unique approach (like commissioning a human designer).
Is the output unusual or reminiscent of a known work or artist? If yes, run it past legal or adjust the creative prompts.
Do local laws give copyright protection to AI-generated works? If not, treat exclusivity claims cautiously.

I put it plainly in my sessions: you can create commercially, but you should be cautious when the content could intersect with other people’s rights. Canva can’t promise that every generated design is cleared for commercial use — that’s a responsibility for the person using the design.

🛠️ Admin controls: how teams manage AI access

Most of the organizations I work with want two things: the power of AI and the ability to control how it’s used. We built admin controls in Canva to give teams precisely that. If you’re on a Teams, Enterprise, or Education account, admins can enable or disable Canva AI tools from the admin panel.

Here’s the step-by-step process I demo during rollouts:

Go to your Canva account and click on Settings.
Select Permissions.
Choose Magic and AI.
Decide which tools or features you want to toggle on or off. You can change access for specific AI tools or switch everything off.
Under “Who can the AI-powered assistant generate original content for?”, pick the option that matches your organisation’s comfort level.

Two important operational notes I emphasise:

Changes affect new designs only. Existing designs that previously used magic features continue to work as before. That avoids disrupting projects mid-flight.
If Ask Canva is disabled, people are directed to help articles for the same queries — so they won’t be left without support.

From an adoption perspective, I usually recommend a staged rollout:

Start with a pilot group that’s more comfortable with AI.
Keep more sensitive teams on a restricted setting while you observe usage patterns.
Gradually expand feature access once you have confidence and internal guidance in place.

Permissions are a practical way to introduce AI at a measured pace. I’ve seen teams reduce anxiety in legal and HR simply by controlling what is allowed right from the admin panel.

🔐 Safety, privacy, and Canva Shield

Safety and privacy aren’t afterthoughts. We built safety features into Canva AI to help everyone feel secure while creating. I lead with that when I talk to government teams, educators, and large enterprises because they ask about data handling and trust first.

Key safety measures I describe:

Automated prompt reviews: we actively scan prompts for unsafe or disallowed content and take preventive actions.
Dedicated support team: users can report unsafe content and get help from a specialised team trained to respond quickly.
Canva Shield: an industry-leading collection of trust, safety and privacy tools included at no additional cost.

Canva Shield is central to our safety story. I always point teams to the Canva Shield page for the latest information — that’s where we publish details of how we make AI safe, the privacy protections in place, and updates to policy. Bookmark canva.com/safe-ai-canva-shield if you’re responsible for compliance — we update it regularly with new improvements and tools.

Practical questions I often get and how I answer them:

Does Canva use my inputs for model training? I explain the current policy and how users can control data sharing within the product (this is also covered in the AI product terms).
Can I delete data? I give steps and encourage teams to follow their internal data-retention policies and use account-level settings where needed.
How do I report a problem? I point to the dedicated reporting channels and the support team that handles safety issues.

Safety is a shared responsibility. We invest in platform-level protections, but teams should also define internal rules for sensitive data and high-risk projects.

🧭 Best practices for responsible AI use at work

I love this part — it’s where policy and practice meet. I always tell people: "Be a good human." That’s not just a slogan; it’s the essence of responsible use.

"Be a good human."

What does that mean in practice? Here are the best practices I encourage teams to adopt right away.

Transparency and disclosure

When a design uses AI, acknowledge AI's role in the design rather than suggesting that the design is entirely your own creation. This protects your team reputationally and keeps communication honest. If a design is customer-facing and was generated with AI, a short disclosure often avoids confusion or backlash.

Internal policies and training

Create a one-page policy for your organisation that covers permitted use, prohibited content, approval processes for commercial campaigns, and examples of risky prompts. Train new users with short, hands-on sessions where they generate a few harmless assets and run through the rights-check checklist.

Rights and clearance workflows

Integrate a quick clearance step for high-impact assets. For example, anything used in advertising, product packaging or logos goes through a legal sign-off. I recommend a simple three-step workflow: create → rights-check → publish.

Prompt hygiene and data handling

Don't put private or sensitive data directly into prompts. Examples include personal health information, confidential customer data, or unreleased financial figures. Treat AI prompts like public messages unless you have a clear data-control policy that says otherwise.

Design uniqueness and trademarks

If you’re creating logos or brand identities, be cautious with AI-generated results. AI can produce great starting points, but because outputs may not be exclusive, I often recommend human refinement or a designer-led finalisation for identity work.

These practices keep teams productive while reducing legal and reputational risk. They’re straightforward and, in my experience, effective.

📚 Where to find the rules — reading Canva’s policies

I always remind teams that policy documents aren’t just legalese — they tell you what’s allowed and where you should be cautious. If you’re looking for the official rules, here’s where I direct people:

Visit canva.com/policies and scroll down to find the AI product terms.
Review the content license agreement and acceptable use policy linked from that page.
Bookmark the Canva Shield page at canva.com/safe-ai-canva-shield for ongoing safety information.

When reading the policies, focus on the sections that describe:

Ownership of inputs and outputs.
Permitted and prohibited uses of AI features.
Data usage and any opt-outs available to account administrators.
How to report safety issues and who handles enforcement.

My tips for non-lawyers reading legal terms:

Look for a short summary first — many policies include a plain-English overview.
Search for keywords that matter to you (e.g., "commercial", "rights", "privacy", "training data").
If you see a clause you don’t understand, flag it for your legal team rather than assuming a worst or best case.

Reading policy documents becomes a routine part of responsible AI adoption. I encourage teams to have a short policy read every quarter as features and regulations evolve quickly.

✋ A step-by-step rollout plan I use with teams

Introducing AI to a business isn’t a single event; it’s a program. I’ve helped many teams adopt Canva AI by following a structured path. Here’s the phased rollout I recommend.

Phase 1 — Discovery & pilot

Identify a small pilot group of users (designers, marketers) who are comfortable experimenting.
Enable specific AI tools for the pilot only (use the admin panel settings).
Run a two-week pilot with a few targeted projects to understand benefits and risks.
Collect feedback and identify common risky prompts or problematic outputs.

Phase 2 — Policy and training

Create a short internal policy covering permitted use and sensitive data restrictions.
Deliver a 60–90 minute training session for the broader team covering the policy and best practices.
Provide a “cheat sheet” for rights checks and when to escalate to legal.

Phase 3 — Controlled expansion

Widen access to more users while keeping certain tools restricted for high-risk activities (e.g., identity creation).
Introduce approval workflows for marketing and external materials.
Monitor usage metrics and incidents using admin tools and internal reporting.

Phase 4 — Ongoing governance

Schedule quarterly reviews of usage, incidents, and policy updates.
Keep a training refresh every six months and update the cheat sheet as best practices evolve.
Use Canva Shield and support reporting tools to surface safety incidents quickly.

This phased plan keeps risk manageable while allowing your organisation to discover the productivity gains of AI. I find that teams who take a staged approach gain trust from skeptical stakeholders far faster than those who flip a switch for everyone at once.

📝 Real-world scenarios and examples

To make these policies concrete, I often walk teams through scenarios. Here are a few I use in briefings — they illustrate common grey areas and how to handle them.

Scenario 1 — Designing a new logo

A marketer asks Canva AI to generate logo concepts for a new product. The outputs look great. What do you do?

Don’t assume exclusivity. Run a trademark and prior-art check. AI outputs might be similar to existing marks.
Use the AI output as inspiration, but have a human designer refine and confirm that the final mark is unique.
Consider filing for trademark only after human-led refinement to ensure the asset is defendable.

Scenario 2 — Creating promotional imagery with a celebrity look

A campaign asset looks like a real public figure. Even if the image isn’t directly a photo, the resemblance raises a red flag.

Check publicity rights and obtain permission if you plan to associate a real person’s likeness with a commercial message.
If permission is not possible, avoid using the image or alter it substantially so it doesn’t reference the public figure.

Scenario 3 — Re-purposing an artwork or photograph

Your team wants to create a poster based on a famous painting. The AI output is stylistically close to the original.

Many artworks are protected by copyright. Confirm whether the artwork is in the public domain.
If it’s not in the public domain, secure permission or use a licensed image instead.

Scenario 4 — Using AI with student data in education

Teachers want to generate learning materials using student examples. Private student data is sensitive.

Avoid inputting identifiable student data into AI prompts unless you have a compliant privacy policy and controls in place.
Use anonymised examples or synthetic data for classroom exercises.

In each scenario, the core question is: does this create a legal, ethical, or reputational risk? If yes, escalate. If no, proceed and document the check.

🔁 Troubleshooting and common operational questions

During rollouts I field recurring operational questions. Here are the answers I give in a newsroom-style Q&A format — clear and actionable.

What happens if an admin disables AI tools?

If Ask Canva or other AI tools are disabled, users are sent to help articles that cover similar topics or provide manual alternatives. Existing designs that used magic features previously will continue to function; the setting affects new designs only.

Will disabling AI affect designs already created with AI?

No — existing designs maintain their functionality. That’s intentional to avoid interrupting in-progress work.

Can I restrict which AI features are available to certain people?

Yes — using the Permissions panel, you can finely control which tools are accessible to which groups. That’s useful when you trust designers but want to limit access for other departments initially.

How do I report unsafe content I found in Canva?

Use the dedicated reporting tools in the product. Our support team and safety specialists review reports and respond. I also recommend documenting the issue internally so you can track and learn from incidents.

Does Canva train its models using my company’s inputs?

Data usage and model training are covered in our AI product terms. Admins should review these terms and configure account privacy settings if they want stricter controls. If you’re an admin, check the privacy settings available in your plan and the AI product terms for specifics.

What should marketing teams do before publishing an AI-generated ad?

Run a rights clearance and a reputation check. Ensure the output doesn’t resemble a known person or copyrighted work, and confirm you have the right to use any elements included in the design.

How do I make sure my team acknowledges AI’s role in designs?

Include a requirement in your internal policy that any externally-published design created in whole or part with AI must include a short disclosure or note in the project documentation. It can be as simple as: "This design was created with the assistance of AI." Transparency reduces risk and builds trust with audiences.

❓ FAQ

Below is a consolidated FAQ that covers the common questions I answer when I present this material. It’s written to be shared directly with stakeholders.

Who owns the inputs I upload and the outputs generated by Canva AI?

You own both your inputs and the outputs generated by Canva AI, subject to compliance with local laws and Canva’s terms of use.

Can I use AI-generated designs for commercial purposes?

Yes, you can generally use Canva AI outputs for commercial projects provided you follow our AI product terms and terms of use. However, you may not have exclusive rights to those outputs, and you must ensure that your use does not infringe others’ rights.

Do I have exclusive copyright over AI-generated content?

Not always. Some jurisdictions do not recognise copyright in AI-generated works. Even where copyright exists, exclusivity can be limited. If exclusivity is critical (for trademarks or brand identities), consider human-led creation or additional legal steps.

What responsibilities do I have when using AI-generated work?

Your responsibilities include ensuring compliance with the law, respecting third-party rights (copyright, privacy, trademarks), and following Canva’s policies (content license, acceptable use, AI product terms).

Can admins control access to Canva AI tools?

Yes. Admins on Teams, Enterprise, and Education accounts can enable or disable AI tools via Settings → Permissions → Magic and AI. You can restrict specific features or the entire set of AI capabilities.

Will disabling AI tools break existing designs that used AI features?

No. Existing designs that used AI features before the change will continue to function. The changes apply to new designs going forward.

How does Canva keep AI use safe?

Canva uses automated prompt reviews, a dedicated support team for reporting, and offers Canva Shield — a suite of trust, safety and privacy tools. These protections are designed to reduce unsafe content and to provide response mechanisms for reported incidents.

Where can I find Canva’s AI product terms and policies?

Visit canva.com/policies and scroll to the AI product terms. The Canva Shield page at canva.com/safe-ai-canva-shield contains safety related information and is updated regularly.

What should I do if an AI-generated output looks like someone else’s work?

If the output appears to mimic an existing work, pause and run a clearance check. If in doubt, consult legal. Avoid publishing the asset until you’re confident it doesn’t infringe another party's rights.

Are there additional safety resources I should share with my team?

Yes — the Canva Shield page is a primary resource. Also, create a short internal guide or "one-pager" that outlines do’s and don’ts, example prompts, and the escalation path for risky content.

How do I ask Canva about a policy detail or safety incident?

Use the support channels within the product to report incidents or policy questions. For policy reading, reference the AI product terms on the policies page and escalate to your legal or compliance teams as needed.

✅ Final thoughts

As someone who helps teams adopt AI responsibly, my message is straightforward: AI is a powerful tool, and when used correctly it speeds work, improves creativity, and solves problems. But "used correctly" requires clear policies, a staged rollout, rights awareness, and a culture that values transparency.

My practical advice to leaders who are nervous about AI adoption is this:

Start small and pilot with a confident group.
Use admin permissions to control access and protect sensitive projects.
Create a simple internal policy and run a short training session.
Build a fast rights-check and approval workflow for high-risk assets.
Use Canva Shield and the reporting tools — safety features are there to help.

Finally, remember a simple principle I repeat in every session: be a good human. Acknowledge AI's role, respect other people’s rights, and make decisions that protect your customers and your brand. If you take those steps, Canva AI can be a productive and safe addition to your team's toolbox.

If you want more detailed guidance tailored to your organisation (for example, a draft internal policy or a sample rollout checklist), I’m happy to help guide you through next steps.