New Product Launches, Fall 2026 Edition

Dan and Nik spend this episode trying out a batch of fall launches. First up are Kite and Open Design, two canvas-based workspaces where several people and several AI agents (Claude, Codex, Gemini, take your pick) work on the same design file. Kite feels closer to Figma; Open Design runs locally and checks its output against a built-in “AI slop” checklist before handing it over. Figma, meanwhile, has rolled out Specs and Code Layers to everyone, so you can now start from a markdown spec, a mockup, or running code and move between all three on one canvas.

Google gets two segments. Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) now lets you review and rearrange an outline before it renders slides or video. That small checkpoint leads to a conversation about working at human speed instead of machine speed, Nik’s week of throwaway agent code (“slow is smooth, smooth is fast”), and Benedict Evans’ point that AI saves you nothing if checking its work takes longer than doing it yourself. Google AI Edge Foresight is an on-device meeting companion that ties your notes to a local index of your own documents. The episode closes with Artcraft, an open-source clean-room re-implementation of the Adobe Creative Suite, reportedly built in ten days.

LINKS

Kite
https://kite.new

Open Design
https://open-design.ai

Build by Design: Figma Specs and Code Layers (Figma Blog)
https://www.figma.com/blog/build-by-design/

How to Shape Your Slides and Videos with Gemini Notebook (Google)
https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-notebook/co-create-slides-videos/

Google AI Edge Foresight
https://developers.google.com/edge/foresight

ArtCraft
https://getartcraft.com