Shopify lets you build an online store just by chatting

Building an online store usually requires technical knowledge or hiring expensive designers. Shopify is trying to change that with a new tool called Canvas.

Canvas works like having a helpful AI assistant right beside you. You simply describe what you want your store to look like, and an AI named Sidekick listens and builds it for you in real time. Want to add a product section? Just say it. Need to change the colors? Tell Sidekick, and watch it happen instantly on your screen. It's like texting a friend, except the friend is building your entire shop.

This matters because starting an online business is expensive and complicated for most people. Right now, you either need to learn how to code, hire someone to do it for you, or use clunky pre-made templates that look like everyone else's. Canvas could put professional-looking stores within reach of small business owners, hobbyists, or anyone testing a new idea without needing thousands of dollars or weeks of learning.

Shopify—which powers millions of online stores worldwide—is betting that AI conversations are the future of building on the internet. If Canvas works as promised, it could make online entrepreneurship a lot easier and faster for ordinary people.