Welcome back to another episode of Boz to the Future, a podcast from Reality Labs. In this installment, Meta’s CTO and Head of Reality Labs, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, sits down with Dylan Field, CEO and co-founder of Figma, to dive into the evolving landscape of technology, creativity, and design in the age of AI. Field, who co-founded Figma at just 19 years old, reflects on the company’s journey from a bold idea to a central platform in modern design culture. He credits a pivotal early insight from co-founder Evan Wallace—realizing that WebGL could be used to harness GPU power directly in the browser—as a game-changer. That moment allowed Figma to build a real-time, collaborative design tool that ran entirely in the web browser, setting it apart from traditional desktop software. Timing, Field notes, is everything. Many great ideas only gain traction when the market, infrastructure, and user behavior are ready. Figma’s rise coincided with a surge in remote work, the growing demand for cloud-based tools, and the increasing importance of collaboration across teams—especially in tech and product development. Bosworth and Field reminisce about the early days when skilled designers were rare and design teams were small. The shift to internet-native tools like Figma helped democratize design, enabling teams to work together seamlessly across time zones and devices. Drawing from experiences in multiplayer gaming and online communities, Field explains how Figma built intuitive, real-time collaboration into its DNA—despite initial skepticism about whether such a model could work at scale. As the conversation turns to AI, Field and Bosworth explore its transformative potential. AI, they agree, can help people turn imagination into reality without needing deep technical expertise. Field warns against relying on AI as a shortcut, instead advocating for its role as a creative catalyst—an inspiration engine that raises the ceiling of what’s possible. He sees AI not as a replacement for human judgment, but as a tool that empowers designers to explore more ideas, iterate faster, and focus on higher-level decisions. They also discuss how interdisciplinary boundaries are blurring. Designers are learning to code, engineers are developing design intuition, and AI is accelerating this convergence. The result is a new breed of creators who are more versatile and better equipped to build the next generation of products. Despite rapid progress, both Field and Bosworth stress that the core of human creativity—craft, intention, and point of view—remains essential. They believe that design-led companies, grounded in a clear vision, will continue to lead innovation. As AI models grow more sophisticated, they’ll generate more complex options, pushing designers to make nuanced editorial choices and engage in deeper, more meaningful conversations. They acknowledge that while technology evolves quickly, human society moves at a slower pace. Social structures, habits, and values change gradually. That’s why thoughtful adaptation, not just speed, is key. Their outlook is one of cautious optimism: the future is not predetermined, but shaped by how we choose to use our tools. The episode closes with a lighthearted speed round. Field shares his take on design trends—favoring substance over flash—and reveals his Thanksgiving preference: stuffing over pumpkin pie. He’s skeptical of dark mode in most contexts, though he concedes it works wonders in display glasses, where, as Bosworth puts it, “dark mode rules.” You can listen to Boz to the Future on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you enjoy podcasts. Follow Dylan Field on Threads and X, and follow Andrew Bosworth on Instagram, X, and Threads @boztank.