Shopify has launched Canvas, a new AI-powered website builder that allows merchants to create and customize their online stores through simple chat conversations. Unlike Shopify's earlier no-code builder, which required manual editing of themes and sometimes coding, Canvas integrates Shopify’s AI assistant, Sidekick, to handle site creation interactively. As merchants describe their desired changes in chat, Canvas immediately reflects these edits in real time with fully interactive pages, supporting different screen sizes and detailed previews of the store’s functionality.

Sidekick has been part of Shopify’s toolkit for a while, assisting with tasks like coding, app building, and customization, but Canvas is the first product to provide an integrated, big-picture view of the entire store’s design and structure during the building process. The AI now has greater capabilities to interact with the store’s underlying theme files, thanks to a streamlined theme architecture that makes the store’s elements easier for Sidekick to manipulate. Merchants can also still manually adjust individual elements if they prefer, though chat-based commands are the main feature.

Currently, Canvas is in its early stages and available only on desktop. The initial release does not yet support third-party themes, app blocks, translations, or some advanced Shopify functionalities like markets and theme rollouts. Shopify plans to address these limitations in future updates to make the product more broadly useful. Over time, Canvas is expected to lower barriers for entrepreneurs who want to launch online stores without needing developers or coding knowledge.

With Canvas, Shopify is joining other platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and Webflow in pushing website building towards AI-driven, no-code solutions. This move could significantly increase accessibility for small businesses and individual sellers by simplifying the store creation process through conversational AI. As the tool evolves, it may reshape how merchants approach e-commerce site design and management, making it more intuitive and efficient to bring businesses online.