WordPress AI – AI Team Updates

WordPress AI – AI Team Updates
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WordPress AI
Welcome!
The
WordPress AI Team
is dedicated to exploring and coordinating artificial intelligence projects across the WordPress ecosystem.
Get Involved
Whether you’re an engineer, designer, researcher, or just curious about AI, we’d love to have you involved as we shape the future of AI in WordPress.
Here’s how you can join us:
Become part of the conversation
in the
#core-ai
channel in WordPress
Slack
Slack
Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform
. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at
Discover
the
AI Team’s projects
Read the announcement
about our
team formation and mission
Share your ideas
and what you are making
using AII in WordPress – we want to hear from you.
What’s Next
We use
Slack
for real-time communication. Contributors live all over the world, so there are discussions happening at all hours of the day.
Meetings alternate Thursday at
17:00 UTC
in the
#core-ai
channel on
Slack
Team Members
Felix Arntz
flixos90
(co-
Team Rep
Team Rep
A Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts.
) – Vercel
James LePage
isotropic
(co-Team Rep) – Automattic
Pascal Birchler
swissspidy
– Google
Jeff Paul
jeffpaul
– Fueled + 10up
core-ai
This week’s AI contributor meeting focused on the AI
plugin
Plugin
A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory
or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party.
release cycle,
MCP client
MCP Client
AI agents, IDEs, or assistants that connect to MCP servers to access capabilities.
progress, connector-related issues, and contributor onboarding topics. Discussions also covered strategies for improving AI
block
Block
Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience.
recognition and processing Elementor feedback into actionable issues.
Announcements
Testing feedback
from
illuminea
is available and should be reviewed. Contributors are encouraged to create issues in the relevant repositories based on findings.
justlevine
is helping generate issues based on comment discussions in the document. Larger themes such as rate limits and fallback behavior may be addressed asynchronously.
AI 0.7.0
was released last week. Feedback is encouraged, with emphasis on fixing bugs and improving existing features ahead of upcoming releases.
Abilities
Commit needed:
Abilities API: Catch exceptions thrown by ability callbacks
Approved PRs related to the abilities work are ready to be merged following final checks.
AI plugin
0.8.0
is targeted for release next week.
At least one additional
major release
Major Release
A set of releases or versions having the same major version number may be collectively referred to as “X.Y” -- for example version 5.2.x to refer to versions 5.2, 5.2.1, and all other versions in the 5.2. (five dot two dot) branch of that software. Major Releases often are the introduction of new major features and functionality.
is expected ahead of the eventual WordPress 7.0 release.
Current focus remains on stabilizing existing features rather than introducing large new functionality.
PHP
PHP
PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML.
/ WP AI Client
Commit needed:
A single config option to disable all LLM related features
PR from
westonruter
requires testing and review:
#77353 — Connectors: preload REST API responses on the Connectors screen
Issue from
westonruter
requires a PR:
#77352 — Connectors screen: Users are blocked on sites with a read-only file system (
DISALLOW_FILE_MODS
Connector plugin developers should review recent API changes and updates
: Connector
API
API
An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways.
changes may require metadata adjustments when using
wp_get_connectors()
flixos90
and
jason_the_adams
pinged on merging updates in the Google
provider
Provider
An AI service offering models for generation, embeddings, or other capabilities (e.g., Anthropic, Google, OpenAI).
repository and shipping v1.0.4 to include recent fixes.
MCP
MCP Client 0.5.0 was scheduled for release immediately following the meeting.
Contributors discussed converting the MCP client from a Composer package into a WordPress plugin to avoid dependency conflicts.
ovidiu-galatan
will initiate a public discussion in the
core
Core
Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.
AI channel regarding reversing the original decision to ship as a Composer package.
justlevine
can assist with technical aspects of submitting the MCP client as a plugin to
WordPress.org
WordPress.org
The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization.
AI Block Recognition Strategies
Contributors discussed challenges converting
HTML
HTML
HTML is an acronym for Hyper Text Markup Language. It is a markup language that is used in the development of web pages and websites.
into WordPress blocks due to missing backend creation mechanisms. Proposed approach:
Provide agents with a list of available blocks.
Use
REST API
REST API
The REST API is an acronym for the RESTful Application Program Interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. It is how the front end of an application (think “phone app” or “website”) can communicate with the data store (think “database” or “file system”)
or
WP-CLI
WP-CLI
WP-CLI is the Command Line Interface for WordPress, used to do administrative and development tasks in a programmatic way. The project page is
tools to expose block metadata.
Prefer source-code-driven context over traditional documentation references.
euthelup
is preparing to
open source
Open Source
Open Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL.
a Claude-based block dictionary tool.
Contributor Support Topics
New contributors were encouraged to focus on areas aligned with their experience: AI client, Agent skills, Abilities, MCP development, AI plugin
mikeyarce
reported being stuck in a verification
loop
Loop
The Loop is PHP code used by WordPress to display posts. Using The Loop, WordPress processes each post to be displayed on the current page, and formats it according to how it matches specified criteria within The Loop tags. Any HTML or PHP code in the Loop will be processed on each post.
while submitting the Minimax provider plugin.
Recommendation: request assistance in the Plugins team
Slack
Slack
Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform
. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at
channel.
AI team members offered to help escalate if needed.
Additional provider plugin work is ongoing, including development of connectors for services such as Kimi or Moonshot AI.
Next Steps
Generate
GitHub
GitHub
GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged by the repository owner.
issues from Miriam’s feedback documentation.
Merge approved Abilities and llm-off-switch PRs.
Release MCP Client 0.5.0.
Continue testing connector-related changes.
Advance preparation for AI plugin 0.8.0 release.
Upcoming meetings
Folks are welcome to join on Wednesday’s at 1700 UTC via
Google Meet
with in-meeting notes captured in a
Slack Canvas
and then paired with Gemini meeting notes to help generate this meeting summary post. All team meetings are published to
The next bi-weekly AI Team Office Hours Slack discussion is scheduled for 16 April 2026.
The next weekly AI Contributor weekly
Google Meet
video call is scheduled for 22 April 2026.
Props to
neel33
for pre-publish review.
core-ai
summary
AI 0.7.0
has been released and is
available for download
! “What’s new in AI Experiments…” posts (labeled with the
#ai-release tag
) are posted following every AI release, showcasing new features included in each release.
What’s New In
AI 0.7.0?
We’re pleased to announce the release of
AI v0.7.0
, the latest update to the canonical
plugin
Plugin
A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory
or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party.
powering experimental AI-powered features in WordPress. This release expands AI-assisted editorial workflows by introducing new classification and SEO capabilities, improving bulk media handling, and continuing to refine the reliability and extensibility of AI-powered integrations across the post editor. Together, these updates continue the effort to make AI feel like a natural part of publishing workflows, helping authors organize content, improve discoverability, and streamline repetitive tasks directly within WordPress.
What’s new in 0.7.0?
New Experiment: Content Classification
The new Content Classification experiment helps authors generate suggested
taxonomy
Taxonomy
A taxonomy is a way to group things together. In WordPress, some common taxonomies are category, link, tag, or post format.
terms based on post content.
With this enabled, users can:
Generate suggested Categories and Tags based on the post title,
excerpt
Excerpt
An excerpt is the description of the blog post or page that will by default show on the blog archive page, in search results (SERPs), and on social media. With an SEO plugin, the excerpt may also be in that plugin’s metabox.
, and content
Apply consistent taxonomy terms across content
Reduce manual tagging effort while maintaining editorial consistency by limiting AI suggestions to preexisting terms on the site
This experiment builds toward more structured content workflows, making it easier to maintain organization across large content libraries.
New Experiment:
Meta
Meta
Meta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress.
Description Generation
Version 0.7.0 also introduces Meta Description Generation, enabling AI-assisted SEO-friendly generation of meta descriptions.
Users can now:
Generate suggested meta descriptions directly from post content
Improve search visibility without leaving the editor
Maintain consistency across SEO descriptions at scale
Together, Content Classification and Meta Description Generation establish the foundation for richer content metadata workflows powered by AI.
Bulk Alt Text Generation
Users can now generate alt text for multiple images at once directly from the Media Library.
This new bulk workflow:
Adds a bulk “Generate Alt Text” action in the Media Library
Enables batch processing of alt text across multiple images
Helps improve
Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility)
across large media libraries
In addition, alt text generation has been refined to better align with the
W3C
W3C
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international community where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards.
Alt Text decision tree guidance, improving the quality and relevance of generated descriptions.
These updates make it significantly easier to improve accessibility across existing content without requiring manual updates to individual media items.
Improvements to the Abilities Explorer
Version 0.7.0 also improves the usability of the Abilities Explorer, making it easier to navigate and work with growing sets of AI capabilities.
Enhancements include:
Category
Category
The 'category' taxonomy lets you group posts / content together that share a common bond. Categories are pre-defined and broad ranging.
filtering support to group related abilities
Improved organization for environments with many registered abilities
These updates help both users and developers better understand available capabilities and locate the tools they need more quickly.
Editor and Workflow Refinements
Several refinements have been made to improve the overall reliability and usability of AI features inside the editor.
Notable updates include:
Improved error handling when incompatible providers are used
Fixes to ensure generated content uses the same language as the source content
Improvements to post content retrieval to ensure the latest edits are used
Fixes to ensure AI actions only appear when relevant blocks are selected
These changes help create a more predictable editing experience, reducing confusion and improving trust in AI-assisted workflows.
Extensibility and Developer Enhancements
This release introduces new extensibility
hooks
Hooks
In WordPress theme and development, hooks are functions that can be applied to an action or a Filter in WordPress. Actions are functions performed when a certain event occurs in WordPress. Filters allow you to modify certain functions. Arguments used to hook both filters and actions look the same.
that make it easier to customize how AI workflows behave.
Developers can now:
Modify system instructions dynamically
Adjust
ability
Ability
A registered, self-documenting unit of WordPress functionality that can be discovered and invoked through multiple contexts (REST API, Command Palette, MCP). Includes authorization and input/output specifications.
results before they are returned
Customize post context used during AI operations
These extensibility improvements provide greater flexibility when integrating AI features into custom workflows, plugins, or editorial environments.
Additional improvements include:
Updated credential detection to support non-
API
API
An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways.
-key connectors
Improved
provider
Provider
An AI service offering models for generation, embeddings, or other capabilities (e.g., Anthropic, Google, OpenAI).
compatibility validation
Updates to preferred models for supported providers
These changes help ensure that AI workflows behave more consistently across different environments and providers.
Stability and Developer Improvements
Version 0.7.0 also includes a number of internal improvements and dependency updates to improve reliability and maintain compatibility with modern tooling.
These include:
Updates to the AI settings interface using the modern DataForm architecture
Improvements to test reliability and preview workflows
Dependency updates across
JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript or JS is an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers. WordPress makes extensive use of JS for a better user experience. While PHP is executed on the server, JS executes within a user’s browser.
and Composer packages
Removal of legacy compatibility checks
Together, these updates help ensure the plugin remains stable and maintainable as the surrounding WordPress AI ecosystem continues to evolve.
What’s next in 0.8.0?
Work is already underway on several features and refinements planned for
v0.8.0
, including:
Onboarding flows as necessary in support of the
“Try AI” callout
in WordPress 7.0
Promote first round of Features
New Experiment:
Refine from Notes
to update post content based on editorial feedback
New Experiment:
Content Resizing
Ensure plugin respects existing Guidelines for AI-generated content
New Experiment:
AI-specific dashboard widgets
New Experiment: Content Provenance tracking for
text
and
images
via
C2PA
Several early prototype experiments are also being explored, including
type-ahead suggestions
content moderation assistance
extended provider support
AI request logging
, and tools like the
AI Playground
and deeper
MCP integration
. These concepts are still exploratory, but they help test how AI could support real workflows across WordPress. We encourage users and developers to
review and test these ideas and share feedback
so the most valuable experiments can mature and land in upcoming releases like 0.8.0.
Thanks to contributors!
A big thank you to everyone who contributed to this release, including:
dkotter
jeffpaul
tyb
estelaris
karmatosed
philsola
n1schay
hilayt24
ryujiyasu
gziolo
raftaar1191
afercia
jorgefilipecosta
justlevine
laurisaarni
fellyph
ocean90
abdullahramzan
, and others involved in review, testing, and
405 commits between 0.6.0 and 0.7.0
Your help and feedback are what make these experiments possible.
Get involved
As always, we welcome feedback, testing, and contributions from the community. Whether you are interested in editor
UX
UX
UX is an acronym for User Experience - the way the user uses the UI. Think ‘what they are doing’ and less about how they do it.
, APIs, accessibility, performance, or AI ethics and policy, there are many ways to participate.
You can
explore the v0.7.0 release today
, review
open issues
and
pull requests
, and
help shape what comes next
Props to
laurisaarni
for reviewing this post.
ai-experiments
ai-features
ai-plugin
ai-release
aiex-release
canonical-plugins
core-ai
The AI Contributor group met on
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
, to discuss the upcoming WordPress 7.0 release, the evolution of the AI Handbook, and coordination for
Contributor Day
Contributor Day
Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of
There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus.
activities.
Highlights
Leadership Transition:
jason_the_adams
has officially stepped into the role of Director of AI at Automattic. He shared insights on his shifting capacity and how the team can support
Core
Core
Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.
AI efforts during this transition.
AI
Plugin
Plugin
A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory
or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party.
Release:
Version 0.7.0 of the AI plugin is scheduled for release tomorrow, featuring a modernized settings
UI
UI
UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think ‘how are they doing that’ and less about what they are doing.
AI Handbook Push:
There is a renewed focus on building out non-technical documentation to explain WordPress’s AI philosophy and provide user-facing guides.
Contributor Day Coordination:
Plans were finalized for both in-person and digital participation in upcoming contributor events, specifically targeting documentation and testing.
Organizational Update: Jason’s Role & Key Priorities
jason_the_adams
shared that he has transitioned into the role of
Director of AI at Automattic
(with
isotropic
also moving to Head of AI at Automattic). While he is currently re-calibrating his hands-on capacity, he identified two specific areas he is personally committed to watching closely to ensure they do not lose momentum during this shift:
The AI Client:
This remains the top priority for the WordPress 7.0 cycle. Jason emphasized the need for high responsiveness to bugs and feedback as plugin developers begin to ramp up their usage of the client.
The Connectors Page:
Jason highlighted this as a critical strategic piece. He noted that while the AI team is the primary consumer now, it is not strictly an “AI feature” and is part of a broader vision for WordPress. He suggested that maintenance should eventually transition to the
Core or Plugins teams
to ensure it isn’t “pigeonholed” as AI-only.
Delegation & Communication Path:
To augment Jason’s focus, the team established the following contact protocol:
Primary Technical Contacts:
gziolo
has been brought on specifically to focus on Core AI contributions. He and
jorgefilipecosta
will handle bug fixes,
provider
Provider
An AI service offering models for generation, embeddings, or other capabilities (e.g., Anthropic, Google, OpenAI).
updates (OpenAI, Google, etc.), and standard PR reviews.
Escalations:
Jason should be pinged specifically for
architectural redirections
, new model types (like embeddings), or significant pivots in the AI Client’s scope.
Core AI and Plugin Development
The team discussed the trajectory for the AI plugin as it aligns with the WordPress 7.0 cycle.
V1.0 Roadmap:
jeffpaul
proposed jumping to a version 1.0 soon to signal stability and encourage broader adoption before the final WP 7.0 release.
UI Modernization:
jorgefilipecosta
provided an update on the new settings UI, which uses a data-form structure to allow for automatic generation of sub-settings without regressing user experience.
Documentation and the AI Handbook
A significant portion of the meeting focused on the “optics” of AI in WordPress and the need for a robust
Handbook
Philosophy over Code:
jason_the_adams
noted that the handbook should move beyond technical docs to address user concerns, (e.g Jason used a
hospital website
as an example: because the AI Client is flexible, a developer can choose a
HIPAA-compliant provider
to handle sensitive data securely of the use of the “off switch” a specific
constant
that users can set to completely disable AI features).
Contribution Guides:
neel33
and
jeffpaul
are working on adding a “Contribute with Docs” section to help new contributors get started with documentation. As a first step we should all feel comfortable drafting in a Google Doc and sharing in the channel – getting it published should be a low barrier to entry and we should adopt a YOLO method of, publishing first – assuming it was drafted and given
some level
of review, and feeling ok about iterating and polishing later.
Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Updates on the
MCP adapter
MCP Adapter
Translates WordPress abilities into Model Context Protocol format, allowing AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT to discover and invoke WordPress capabilities as tools, resources, and prompts.
and its distribution:
Version 0.5.0:
A release is expected this week once final testing is completed by
ovidiu-galatan
Distribution Strategy:
The team continues
to debate the best way to package the MCP adapter
whether as a composer package, a standalone plugin, or a bundled zip to make it accessible for non-technical users.
isotropic
flixos90
we likely will need
Team Rep
Team Rep
A Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts.
discussion+decision on the approach here.
Call for Design: AI Landing Page
The team discussed the need for a dedicated AI marketing page on
WordPress.org
WordPress.org
The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization.
to better communicate available features to non-technical users.
The Need:
Currently, no central landing page exists to showcase WordPress AI features/experiments for non-technical site owners and more detailed technical capabilities to developers, agencies, and hosts.
The Request:
jeffpaul
issued a call for
designers
within the community to help identify what content should be featured and how to lay it out.
The Goal:
Create a single point of reference that highlights “Capital F” Features and “Capital E” Experiments, making AI in WordPress more accessible to the broader public.
The Connectors Page
Clarification was provided regarding the naming of the “Connectors” page in WordPress core.
Broader Scope:
The page is deliberately not named “AI Connectors” because it is intended to host credentials for various third-party APIs, including non-AI services like Akismet, WooCommerce, or Mailchimp.
Unified Interface:
The goal is to provide a single, standardized location for all third-party connections within the WordPress dashboard.
Next Steps
Open good-first-issues for AI plugin ahead of Contributor Day
Release of
AI Plugin 0.7.0
Release 0.5.0 MCP
Ongoing:
Drafting handbook guides on AI concepts and opt-out instructions.
Upcoming meetings
Folks are welcome to join on Wednesday’s at 1700 UTC via
Google Meet
with in-meeting notes captured in a
Slack Canvas
and then paired with Gemini meeting notes to help generate this meeting summary post. All team meetings are published to
The next bi-weekly AI Team Chat
Slack
Slack
Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform
. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at
discussion is scheduled for 16 April 2026.
The next weekly AI Contributor weekly
Google Meet
video call is scheduled for 15 April 2026.
Props to
jeffpaul
for the pre-publish review
core-ai
summary
Over the past few weeks, members of the
core-ai
team have been working on a guide for community members who would like to present at meetups and WordCamps about the
Core
Core
Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.
AI projects.
The aim of this guide is to help speakers prepare to present on the Core AI projects, and includes things like possible talk ideas, an overview of each project, recommended talk structures, and planning tips.
This guide will ultimately live in the Core AI Handbook under the
Resources & Links
section.
Before it is published, we would like to invite feedback from the wider WordPress AI Community.
You can find the working guide in
this Google Doc
(or the link below). If you have any feedback on the guide, please feel to leave it as a comment, or suggest updates directly on the content.
Click here to view the draft guide to leave your feedback
The document will be left open for comments and feedback until
Wednesday 21 April, 2026
, after which the feedback will be incorporated and it will be added to the Core AI Handbook.
Hey WordPress community! The
Core
Core
Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.
AI Team is excited to be part of
Contributor Day
Contributor Day
Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of
There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus.
at
WordCamp Asia 2026
, happening on
April 9, 2026
, at the
Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, India
While WordPress 7.0 will not be released during Contributor Day, this is a valuable opportunity to directly contribute to its development and upcoming release.
💡  What is the WordPress AI Team?
The WordPress AI Team was formed to explore and coordinate AI projects across the WordPress ecosystem. Our mission is to build the technical Building Blocks that allow any WordPress user from enterprise teams to individual bloggers to access, use, and build powerful AI features.
📅  Every Wednesday at 10:30 PM IST (UTC+05:30) —
Google Meet
📅  Every other Thursday at 10:30 PM IST (UTC+05:30) —
#core-ai
on WordPress
Slack
Slack
Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform
. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at
⏰ Schedule for the Day
All times are in IST (UTC+05:30):
8:00 AM – Registration Open and Networking Time
9:00 AM – Opening Remarks
9:30 AM – Contributing to WordPress / WordPress 7.0 Development & Testing Session
11:00 AM – WordPress 7.0 Progress Discussions and Open Floor
11:45 AM – WordPress 7.0 Progress Update
12:00 PM – Long Break / Networking
1:45 PM – Family Photo
2:00 PM – Contributing to WordPress / Workshop / Open-Source Library
4:30 PM – Closing Remarks
5:00 PM – Contributor Day Wrap Up
If you cannot make it in person, you are still welcome to participate remotely via the
#contributor-day
channel on Slack.
Meet the Core AI Table Leads
Table Leads:
Deepak Gupta –
@raftaar1191
Aslam Doctor –
@aslamdoctor
Gajendra Singh –
@gajendrasingh
David Levine –
@justlevine
How can I best prepare?
To best prepare for Contributor Day, please follow these steps:
Purchase Your Ticket and Sign Up:
Purchase a
WordCamp Asia 2026 ticket
(a ticket is required regardless of the type).
Sign Up to Attend Contributor Day at WCAsia 2026
Set Up Necessary Accounts:
Create your
WordPress.org account and username
Create a
GitHub Account
Connect your GitHub
account to your WordPress profile.
Join Slack:
Join the
Make WordPress Slack
instance and the
#core-ai
team channel.
Please note:
When registering for Slack, be sure to log in using your username@chat.
wordpress.org
WordPress.org
The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization.
instead of your normal email address.
Getting Started at the Core AI Table
If you’re new or not sure where to begin, don’t worry — we’ll guide you through it.
When you join the Core AI table, you can expect a simple flow:
Start with a quick introduction so we can understand your interests and experience level.
Table leads or experienced contributors will help you pick a task based on your skills.
You’ll be guided to a relevant project, issue, or testing task to begin with.
If needed, you can pair with someone or ask questions anytime during the process.
Optional: Prepare in Advance
If you’d like to get a head start before Contributor Day, you can set up a local WordPress environment and use the WordPress
Beta
Beta
A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process.
Tester
plugin
Plugin
A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory
or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party.
to install the latest WordPress 7.0 Beta/
RC
Release Candidate
A beta version of software with the potential to be a final product, which is ready to release unless significant bugs emerge.
version. You can then install the AI Plugin to explore its features in advance and identify any feedback or issues you’d like to share during the event.
What do y’all want to be focusing on in person?
Contribute to WordPress 7.0 and Beyond
: Get hands-on with upcoming AI features like the AI Client,
Abilities API
Abilities API
A core WordPress API (introduced in 6.9) that creates a central registry of capabilities, making WordPress functions discoverable and accessible to AI agents, automation tools, and developers. Transforms WordPress from isolated functions into a unified system.
, and AI Plugin. Help test, refine, and stabilize features for 7.0, while also exploring ideas and contributions for 7.1.
Help Test and Stabilize WordPress 7.0 AI Features
: Dive in and help test upcoming WordPress 7.0 features and explore new AI capabilities, and report any issues you find.
Onboard New Contributors
: Receive guidance and mentorship, and learn how to earn your
Core AI Contributor Badge
Contribute to Core AI Projects
: Explore and contribute to active projects such as
AI Plugins
MCP Adapter
WP Bench
Agent Skills
and
PHP AI Client
Improve Documentation
: Enhance the AI Handbook, contribute to the glossary, or update contributor guides.
Report New Issues
: Test bugs or features and report new issues via
Core Trac – AI Component
or the
GitHub repository
What the Core AI Team is Building
The AI Team has been developing four interconnected Building Blocks, with the first two now in WordPress core:
AI Client — Now in WordPress 7.0 ✅
This is the first version of WordPress with native AI query capabilities built in. It serves as a unified library for interacting with major AI providers (Google, Anthropic, OpenAI, and more) through a single, consistent
API
API
An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways.
Abilities API — Already in WordPress 6.9
Transforms WordPress into a unified, discoverable system by creating a central registry of capabilities (
CLI
CLI
Command Line Interface. Terminal (Bash) in Mac, Command Prompt in Windows, or WP-CLI for WordPress.
commands,
REST API
REST API
The REST API is an acronym for the RESTful Application Program Interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. It is how the front end of an application (think “phone app” or “website”) can communicate with the data store (think “database” or “file system”)
endpoints, custom plugin logic).
MCP Adapter
MCP Adapter
Translates WordPress abilities into Model Context Protocol format, allowing AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT to discover and invoke WordPress capabilities as tools, resources, and prompts.
Allows external AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT to connect directly to WordPress by translating the Abilities API into a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server.
AI Plugin
(formerly the WordPress AI Experiment plugin) Brings all three Building Blocks together, serving as a user-facing tool and developer reference. Features include:
Excerpt
Excerpt
An excerpt is the description of the blog post or page that will by default show on the blog archive page, in search results (SERPs), and on social media. With an SEO plugin, the excerpt may also be in that plugin’s metabox.
Generation, Alt Text Generation, Image Generation, Content Summarization, Title Generation, Review Notes (for
Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility)
, Readability, Grammar, SEO), and the Abilities Explorer.
WP Bench
A benchmarking framework for evaluating AI performance, quality, and reliability across different providers and use cases within WordPress.
Agent Skills
Defines reusable, structured capabilities that AI agents can invoke—enabling more advanced automation and multi-step workflows on top of the Abilities API.
PHP
PHP
PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML.
AI Client
— Core SDK powering AI features in WordPress 7.0+.
A framework-agnostic PHP library that underpins AI integrations, complementing the WordPress AI Client with broader ecosystem support and lower-level control.
How You Can Contribute Today
There is a meaningful contribution for everyone, whether you are a developer, tester, writer, or simply curious about AI.
For PHP / Backend Developers
Test AI Client
provider
Provider
An AI service offering models for generation, embeddings, or other capabilities (e.g., Anthropic, Google, OpenAI).
integrations and explore the
AI_Client::prompt()
API
Explore and improve the Abilities API by registering new WordPress abilities
Test the MCP Adapter and report edge cases
For
JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript or JS is an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers. WordPress makes extensive use of JS for a better user experience. While PHP is executed on the server, JS executes within a user’s browser.
/ Frontend Developers
Improve generation features in the AI Plugin (Excerpt, Alt Text, Image Generation)
Contribute to Content Summarization features
Refine
block
Block
Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience.
-level Review Notes (Accessibility, Readability, Grammar, SEO)
Improve the Abilities Explorer admin interface
For Testers & QA
Run the AI Plugin on a WordPress 7.0 Beta/RC environment (using the WordPress Beta Tester plugin) and report detailed bugs
Test the Connectors screen across different AI providers
Document edge cases for the MCP Adapter
For Writers & Documenters
Improve developer documentation for the Building Blocks
Contribute to AI guidelines for WordPress
Create tutorials and walkthroughs for new AI features
For Everyone
Join the
#core-ai
channel on WordPress Slack and introduce yourself
Share ideas for AI experiments
Try the AI Plugin and provide feedback
A Good First Task
Install the WordPress Beta Tester plugin to set up a WordPress 7.0 Beta/RC environment, then install the AI Plugin, try every feature, and file one detailed bug report or test result.
Helpful Resources
Event & Contribution
WordPress Slack — #core-ai
(Main communication channel.)
Core AI Team Trac
(Bug tracking and patch submission for AI features in core.)
Core AI Building Blocks
AI Building Blocks for WordPress
(Definitive overview of the four building blocks.)
AI Client overview (PHP AI API)
(Deep-dive into the AI Client merged into WordPress 7.0.)
Abilities API overview
(How WordPress capabilities become discoverable.)
MCP Adapter overview
(How WordPress connects to AI assistants via Model Context Protocol.)
Tools & Benchmarking
WordPress Beta Tester plugin
(Required to install and test WordPress 7.0 Beta/RC locally.)
wp-bench — AI Benchmarking
(Benchmark AI models on WordPress-specific tasks.)
Agent-skills
( Agent Skills for WordPress )
Other
Core AI Team Handbook
WordCamp Contributor Day Guide
Core AI Projects Overview
Core AI Contributing Badge
Contributor Day FAQ from WCAsia 2026 official page
Looking Ahead
As we gear up for this landmark Contributor Day, we’re excited about the incredible energy that will fill the room in Mumbai. Being part of the development and testing phase of WordPress 7.0—and contributing toward what comes next in 7.1—makes this Contributor Day especially meaningful. With AI capabilities coming into core for the first time, your contributions directly help shape the future of WordPress.
Interested in Contributor Day but unsure if Core AI is the right fit for you? Check out Make WordPress’s
Find Your Team
tool to discover other opportunities.
Props to
@aslamdoctor
@gajendrasingh
and
@justlevine
for peer review of this post. 🙌
core-ai
wcasia2026
The AI Contributor group met on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, to discuss the upcoming WordPress 7.0 release, progress on the AI Experimentation
plugin
Plugin
A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory
or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party.
, and plans for
WordCamp
WordCamp
WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy.
Asia.
WordPress 7.0 Release & Schedule
With
RC1
released yesterday, the team is shifting focus toward the final stretch of the 7.0 cycle.
Current Target:
The final release
remains scheduled for
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Potential Delays:
Discussions regarding real-time collaboration in 7.0 are ongoing. While this shouldn’t delay the final launch, it may impact the timing of RC2. Any official changes will be communicated via Make
Core
Core
Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.
7.1 Outlook:
If the 7.0 window narrows, several items (like advanced connectors filtering) are already being eyed for the 7.1 cycle to ensure they receive proper maturity and testing.
AI Experiments Plugin
AI Experiments Plugin
WordPress's AI laboratory bringing all building blocks together. Serves as both a user tool and developer reference implementation. First release (v0.1.0) includes Title Generation experiment.
(v0.6 & v0.7)
Version
0.6.0
is
now live
, featuring major image editing and refinement capabilities in the post editor and media library.
Version 0.7.0:
Slated for
Tuesday, April 7
, just ahead of the WordPress 7.0 release. Development may be slightly slower over the next two weeks due to team PTO.
A lot of potential for including the following (This is from the notes, and
jeffpaul
walked us through much of this in the call)
Onboarding flows as necessary in support of the
“Try AI” callout
in WordPress 7.0
Finalize requirements to elevate an Experiment to a Feature
and
promote first round of features
Refine from Notes experiment
to update post content based on editorial feedback
AI-specific dashboard widgets
Content Classification (fka Contextual Tagging) experiment
that suggests post tags and categories based on post content, title, and
excerpt
Excerpt
An excerpt is the description of the blog post or page that will by default show on the blog archive page, in search results (SERPs), and on social media. With an SEO plugin, the excerpt may also be in that plugin’s metabox.
, helping authors apply consistent, relevant
taxonomy
Taxonomy
A taxonomy is a way to group things together. In WordPress, some common taxonomies are category, link, tag, or post format.
directly in the editor
Meta Description experiment
that integrates with several SEO plugins
Content Resizing experiment
Content Provenance tracking for
text
and
images
via
C2PA
Updating AI Experiments admin screens to utilize DataViews and DataForms
The “v1.0” Debate:
The team discussed whether to jump to a 1.0 release for the WordPress 7.0 launch. The consensus is to maintain the “0.x” numbering for now to allow for breaking changes and experimental flexibility, though a 1.0 might be considered if features feel sufficiently “frozen” and stable.
New Experiment: Guidelines:
Work is beginning on leveraging the new
Content Guidelines
(from
Gutenberg
Gutenberg
The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc.
22.7) to inform text generation, ensuring AI output aligns with site-specific rules.
MCP, WP AI Client, & AI connectors
Model Context Protocol (MCP):
The
MCP adapter
MCP Adapter
Translates WordPress abilities into Model Context Protocol format, allowing AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT to discover and invoke WordPress capabilities as tools, resources, and prompts.
is moving toward being merged into trunk. A
Call for Testing
will be published soon. There is an ongoing debate about whether to bundle the MCP experiment directly in the AI plugin or distribute it via a separate library/plugin to avoid composer-related hurdles.
Naming Conventions:
A brief discussion occurred regarding the naming of the
wp_supports_ai
function. Some contributors suggested “allows” instead of “supports” to align with other Core naming patterns.
Call for Testing:
A specific
call for testing
for the
AI
Provider
Provider
An AI service offering models for generation, embeddings, or other capabilities (e.g., Anthropic, Google, OpenAI).
connector plugins
was highlighted. This is a critical piece of infrastructure for cross-plugin AI compatibility.
WordCamp Asia &
Contributor Day
Contributor Day
Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of
There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus.
The team is
preparing for WordCamp Asia
(March 6–8, 2026).
Contributor Day Lead:
raftaar1191
is organizing the AI table,
justlevine
will assist online.
isotropic
will be attending in a supporting capacity but won’t be leading the table due to travel timing.
Preparation:
The team is finalizing a “
Preparation Doc
” for contributors and a list of AI providers offering free
API
API
An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways.
tiers (like Google AI Studio’s free tier) to ensure new contributors can test features without cost.
Design & Marketing
Branding Concerns:
New plugin
icons and banners
featuring a “breaking away” WordPress logo were put on hold. There is concern that the visual could be interpreted as AI “breaking” WordPress, which is not the intended sentiment. We have paused the current design update and seek a more “positive” visual direction. Call for designers here who might feel strongly about the direction we can land on.
AI Landing Page:
jeffpaul
proposed a dedicated
wordpress.org/ai
marketing page (
similar to the Gutenberg landing page
) to showcase the team’s work to non-technical users. This is currently limited by a lack of dedicated design resources.
Decision Points
Experiment Lifecycle:
new document has been drafted
to define how an “Experiment” graduates to a “Feature” within the plugin.
UI
UI
UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think ‘how are they doing that’ and less about what they are doing.
Refresh:
Two competing PRs are in progress to modernize the settings page—one using Data Views/Forms and another focusing on a “Connectors” style UI.
Upcoming Meetings
AI Contributor Meeting (Video):
Wednesday, April 1st 2026 at 17:00 UTC
AI Team Office Hours (
Slack
Slack
Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform
. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at
):
Thursday, April 2nd 2026 at 17:00 UTC
Props to
jeffpaul
for pre-publish review.
core-ai
meeting
The WordPress AI Team is excited to invite the community to test a growing collection of
community-built AI connector plugins
. These plugins extend WordPress by connecting it to additional AI services through the
PHP AI Client
— the
provider-agnostic
Provider-Agnostic
Software design that works with multiple service providers without being tied to one. Recommended for WordPress AI integrations.
SDK that is part of the upcoming WordPress 7.0 release (read more about it
here
).
WordPress 7.0 will ship with the
PHP
PHP
PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML.
AI Client baked into
core
Core
Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.
, and connectors for Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI appear as default options in the connector screen — ready to install with a single click. But the real power of the PHP AI Client’s open architecture is that
anyone can build a connector for any AI service
. The community has already stepped up — and these plugins are ready for testing.
If you’ve been curious about WordPress’s evolving AI capabilities, this is a great opportunity to try them out firsthand and help shape the experience.
What are AI connector plugins?
AI connector plugins act as bridges between WordPress and external AI services. They implement the PHP AI Client’s
provider
Provider
An AI service offering models for generation, embeddings, or other capabilities (e.g., Anthropic, Google, OpenAI).
interface, allowing any WordPress
plugin
Plugin
A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory
or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party.
or theme to use AI capabilities — text generation, image generation, function calling, and more — through a unified, provider-agnostic
API
API
An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways.
Connectors for
Anthropic
Google
, and
OpenAI
are featured prominently in the WordPress 7.0 connector screen and can be installed directly from there. The community connector plugins featured in this article expand the ecosystem further, giving users and developers more choice in which AI services power their WordPress sites.
Each connector plugin handles the specifics of communicating with its respective AI service, so developers and users can switch between providers without changing their code or workflow.
Screenshot of the connector screen having a community plugin connected.
Community connector plugins to test
AI Provider for Grok (xAI)
Grok
is xAI’s conversational AI, known for its real-time knowledge and distinctive personality.
Author:
Aslam Doctor
Repository:
GitHub
WordPress.org
Version:
1.0.2
Capabilities:
Text generation, function calling, vision input, structured output, multi-candidate generation, chat history
Models:
Dynamically discovered from the xAI API, including vision-capable models
API key:
Purchase API tokens from
x.ai
and configure under Settings > AI Credentials or via the
GROK_API_KEY
environment variable
Install:
Install from
WordPress.org
or download from
GitHub Releases
AI Provider for Mistral
Mistral AI
is a European AI company offering powerful open and commercial models for text and image generation.
Author:
Lauri Saarni
Repository:
GitHub
WordPress.org
Version:
1.1.0
Capabilities:
Text generation, image generation, function calling, vision input, structured output (
JSON
JSON
JSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a minimal, readable format for structuring data. It is used primarily to transmit data between a server and web application, as an alternative to XML.
schema)
Models:
Dynamically discovered from the Mistral API — always up to date with the latest available models, including
mistral-medium-2505
for image generation
API key:
Obtain from
Mistral Console
Install:
Install from
WordPress.org
or download from
GitHub Releases
AI Provider for Ollama
Ollama
lets you run open-source AI models locally on your own hardware — no API key, no cloud, no cost. Perfect for privacy-conscious sites and local development.
Author:
Fueled
Repository:
GitHub
WordPress.org
Capabilities:
Text generation using locally hosted models, automatic model detection, support for both local and Ollama Cloud deployments
Models:
Any model available through Ollama’s registry (Llama 3.2, Mistral, Phi, Gemma, and more)
API key:
No API key required for local mode — just have Ollama running on your machine. Cloud mode requires an Ollama Cloud API key.
Install:
Install from
WordPress.org
or download from
GitHub
. For local mode,
install Ollama
and pull a model (e.g.,
ollama pull llama3.2
).
AI Provider for OpenRouter
OpenRouter
is a unified API gateway providing access to 400+ AI models from dozens of providers — including Anthropic, OpenAI,
Meta
Meta
Meta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress.
, Google, Mistral, and many more — through a single API key.
Author:
Jonathan Bossenger
Repository:
GitHub
WordPress.org
Capabilities:
Text generation with access to 400+ models, searchable model selection with provider filtering, free-tier model toggle, context length and pricing display
Models:
Full OpenRouter catalog — Claude, GPT-4, Llama 3, Gemini, Mistral, and hundreds more
API key:
Create an account at
openrouter.ai
and retrieve your key from Settings > Keys. Configure under Settings > OpenRouter AI in the WordPress admin.
Install:
Install from
WordPress.org
Testing environment
We encourage testers to use
WordPress 7.0
which includes the PHP AI Client as part of core. This is the closest you can get to the final WordPress 7.0 experience and helps us catch integration issues before the stable release.
You will also need the
AI Experiments
plugin, which provides the user-facing features that leverage the AI capabilities these connectors provide.
Prerequisites
WordPress 7.0 (
Beta Tester Plugin
recommended ahead of the final 7.0 release)
PHP 7.4 or higher (PHP 8.0+ for OpenRouter and Ollama)
AI Experiments
plugin installed and activated
An API key for at least one of the AI providers listed above (not required for Ollama in local mode)
Setup steps
Install WordPress 7.0.
Install and activate the
AI Experiments
plugin.
Install and activate one or more
community connector plugins
from the list above.
Navigate to the connector settings in your WordPress dashboard to verify the provider appears and is available.
What to test
1. Provider setup and connectivity
Does the connector plugin activate without errors?
Does the provider appear in the connector selection screen alongside the default providers (Anthropic, Google, OpenAI)?
Is the API key configuration straightforward?
Does the availability check succeed when the API key is valid?
2. Text generation
Enable AI experiments in the AI settings.
Open the post editor and and use text generation fetures. Do AI-powered suggestions appear?
Try switching between community connectors and the default providers — does the experience remain consistent?
Screenshot of showing AI Editor Experiments being enabled.
3. Image generation
For connectors that support image generation (currently Mistral):
Can you generate images using “Generate
featured image
Featured image
A featured image is the main image used on your blog archive page and is pulled when the post or page is shared on social media. The image can be used to display in widget areas on your site or in a summary list of posts.
”- feature in the editor?
How does the generation speed compare to the default providers?
4. Error handling
What happens when an invalid API key is provided?
For Ollama: what happens when the local Ollama service is not running?
Are error messages clear and actionable?
Known issues
Image generation is currently only available on select providers and models.
Questions to consider
When testing, we’d appreciate your thoughts on:
Setup experience:
Was the installation and configuration process clear? What could be improved?
Provider switching:
Did switching between community connectors and default providers feel seamless?
Response quality:
How did the AI responses compare across different community providers and the defaults?
Performance:
Did you notice latency or performance differences between providers?
Local AI (Ollama):
If you tested local models, how did the experience compare to cloud providers? Was setup straightforward?
Error messages:
When something went wrong, were the error messages helpful?
Documentation:
Was there enough information to get started? What was missing?
How to give feedback
Grok connector issues:
GitHub Issues
Mistral connector issues:
GitHub Issues
Ollama connector issues:
GitHub Issues
OpenRouter connector issues:
GitHub Issues
AI Experiments issues:
GitHub Issues
PHP AI Client issues:
GitHub Issues
General discussion:
Join the
#core-ai
channel on
WordPress Slack
Testing timeline
Testing is open from
25 March
2026
through
2 April 2026
8 April 2026
Want to build your own connector?
The PHP AI Client makes it straightforward to build a connector for any AI service. If your preferred AI provider isn’t listed above, consider building one! The
PHP AI Client documentation
and the community connector plugins listed here are great starting points. At a high level, connector plugins need to:
Extend
AbstractApiProvider
from the PHP AI Client.
Implement model metadata discovery and model classes for supported capabilities.
Register the provider with
AiClient::defaultRegistry()
on the WordPress
init
hook.
We welcome new community connectors and would love to include them in future testing rounds.
Thank you for helping test and improve WordPress’s AI capabilities. The more providers the community builds and tests, the more choice WordPress users will have when AI features land in WordPress 7.0.
Props to
aslamdoctor
fueled
laurisaarni
and
psykro
for their contributions to the WordPress AI connector ecosystem.
Thanks to
jeffpaul
for reviewing the article.
ai-experiments
call-for-testing
core-ai
needs-testing
AI 0.6.0
has been released and is
available for download
! “What’s new in AI Experiments…” posts (labeled with the
#aiex-release tag
) are posted following every AI release, showcasing new features included in each release.
What’s New In
AI 0.6.0?
We’re pleased to announce the release of
AI v0.6.0
, the latest update to the canonical
plugin
Plugin
A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory
or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party.
powering experimental AI-powered features in WordPress. This release builds on recent work aligning with
WordPress 7.0
by introducing image editing and refinement workflows, along with continued improvements to how AI Features and Experiments are structured and surfaced throughout the plugin.
What’s new in 0.6.0?
Image Editing and Refinement Workflows
Version 0.6.0 introduces the next phase of AI-powered media workflows by expanding beyond image generation into image editing and refinement.
Users can now:
Refine generated images through an iterative prompt-based workflow
Edit existing images directly within the Media Library
Apply preset editing actions, such as expanding or removing backgrounds and removing or replacing elements within an image
Together, these updates begin to establish a more complete AI-assisted image editing experience inside WordPress, allowing authors to not just generate images, but actively refine and adapt them without leaving the editor or admin.
Improvements to AI Feature Structure
This release also includes an important internal shift in how functionality is organized within the plugin.
Experiments have been refactored to be treated as a type of Feature, helping create a clearer structure for how AI capabilities are registered, surfaced, and evolved over time. This lays the groundwork for promoting more mature Experiments into stable Features in future releases.
As part of this evolution, the plugin has also been renamed from
AI Experiments
to simply
AI
, reflecting its growing role as the central place for AI-powered functionality in WordPress.
Editor and Workflow Enhancements
Several improvements have been made to the editor experience to make AI features easier to discover and use:
The Generate Alt Text action has been moved to the Content tab for improved visibility
UI
UI
UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think ‘how are they doing that’ and less about what they are doing.
labels and interactions have been refined for greater consistency
AI abilities, such as title generation, have been standardized for more predictable behavior
These updates continue the effort to make AI features feel like a natural part of the WordPress editing experience, rather than separate or experimental add-ons. The AI plugin continues to serve as a laboratory for exploring how AI can support real publishing workflows, combining capabilities like content generation, editorial review, and media creation into a unified experience.
Stability and Developer Improvements
Version 0.6.0 also includes a number of fixes and developer-focused updates, including:
Improved error handling in the Generate Alt Text workflow
Refactoring of upgrade routines and
migration
Migration
Moving the code, database and media files for a website site from one server to another. Most typically done when changing hosting companies.
handling
Updates to plugin constants and hook naming conventions
These changes help improve reliability and make it easier for contributors and developers to extend and build on the plugin.
What’s next in 0.7.0?
Work is already underway on several features and refinements planned for
v0.7.0
, including:
Onboarding flows as necessary in support of the
“Try AI” callout
in WordPress 7.0
Finalize requirements to elevate an Experiment to a Feature
and
promote first round of features
Refine from Notes experiment
to update post content based on editorial feedback
AI-specific dashboard widgets
Contextual Tagging experiment
that suggests post tags and categories based on post content, title, and
excerpt
Excerpt
An excerpt is the description of the blog post or page that will by default show on the blog archive page, in search results (SERPs), and on social media. With an SEO plugin, the excerpt may also be in that plugin’s metabox.
, helping authors apply consistent, relevant
taxonomy
Taxonomy
A taxonomy is a way to group things together. In WordPress, some common taxonomies are category, link, tag, or post format.
directly in the editor
Meta Description experiment
that integrates with several SEO plugins
Content Provenance tracking for
text
and
images
via
C2PA
Updating AI Experiments admin screens to utilize DataViews and DataForms
Several early prototype experiments are also being explored, including
type-ahead suggestions
content moderation assistance
extended provider support
AI request logging
, and tools like the
AI Playground
and deeper
MCP integration
. These concepts are still exploratory, but they help test how AI could support real workflows across WordPress. We encourage users and developers to
review and test these ideas and share feedback
so the most valuable experiments can mature and land in upcoming releases like 0.7.0.
Thanks to contributors!
A big thank you to everyone who contributed to this release, including:
dkotter
jeffpaul
justlevine
juanfra
gziolo
mamaduka
raftaar1191
, and others involved in review, testing, and
174 commits between 0.5.0 and 0.6.0
Your help and feedback are what make these experiments possible.
Get involved
As always, we welcome feedback, testing, and contributions from the community. Whether you are interested in editor
UX
UX
UX is an acronym for User Experience - the way the user uses the UI. Think ‘what they are doing’ and less about how they do it.
, APIs,
Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility)
, performance, or AI ethics and policy, there are many ways to participate.
You can
explore the v0.6.0 release today
, review
open issues
and
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for reviewing this post.
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Content
Guidelines is now available as a
Gutenberg
Gutenberg
The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc.
experiment — a single place in WordPress to define the content standards that shape how your site’s content is written, edited, and managed.
Background
In early February, we
proposed Content Guidelines as a Gutenberg experiment
. The idea: give site owners a first-class place in WordPress to capture editorial voice, tone, image preferences, and other content standards — so every actor in the ecosystem, whether human or automated, works from the same source of truth. While the original proposal framed this as “Content Guidelines,” we realised during development that the concept extends well beyond content — to design guidelines, coding standards, and more — so we dropped “Content” from the public-facing naming before release.
What’s included
Guidelines in
Gutenberg 22.7
delivers:
A dedicated
Settings page
for defining site-wide guidelines across multiple categories (
#75164
#75420
Block
Block
Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience.
-level guidelines
for setting content rules on individual block types (
#76187
Import, Export, and Revision History
to keep guidelines portable and recoverable (
#76155
How to try it
Guidelines is behind the Gutenberg experiments flag. To enable it:
Go to
Gutenberg > Experiments
in your WordPress admin
Check
“Guidelines”
Save changes
A new
“Guidelines”
submenu will appear under
Settings
You can also
try it directly in WordPress Playground
The settings page
Guideline categories
The page organizes guidelines into expandable accordion sections:
Site
— Your site’s goals, personality, target audience, and industry. Foundational context that any tool or contributor can reference.
Copy
— Tone, voice, brand personality, and vocabulary preferences. An editorial style guide, living inside WordPress.
Images
— Preferred image styles, colors, moods, and subjects to include or avoid.
Blocks
— Per-block-type rules for content blocks. For example, specifying that Paragraph blocks should favour short sentences, or that Image blocks should always include descriptive alt text.
Additional
— Anything else:
Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility)
requirements, linking practices, formatting conventions, or rules that don’t fit the categories above.
Import, Export, and
Revisions
Revisions
The WordPress revisions system stores a record of each saved draft or published update. The revision system allows you to see what changes were made in each revision by dragging a slider (or using the Next/Previous buttons). The display indicates what has changed in each revision.
An
Actions
section at the bottom of the page provides:
Export
— Download guidelines as a
guidelines.json
file for backup or sharing across sites.
Import
— Upload a previously exported
JSON
JSON
JSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a minimal, readable format for structuring data. It is used primarily to transmit data between a server and web application, as an alternative to XML.
file to replace the current guidelines.
Revision History
— Browse and restore previous versions, powered by WordPress’s built-in revision system.
Architecture overview
For developers and
plugin
Plugin
A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory
or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party.
authors interested in building on top of Guidelines, here’s a brief overview. The full technical discussion is tracked in
#75258
Storage
— Guidelines uses a
Custom Post Type
Custom Post Type
WordPress can hold and display many different types of content. A single item of such a content is generally called a post, although post is also a specific post type. Custom Post Types gives your site the ability to have templated posts, to simplify the concept.
wp_content_guideline
) with each guideline
category
Category
The 'category' taxonomy lets you group posts / content together that share a common bond. Categories are pre-defined and broad ranging.
stored as post
meta
Meta
Meta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress.
with revision support. This gives us atomic updates, native revision history, flexible schema evolution, and simple import/export.
REST API
REST API
The REST API is an acronym for the RESTful Application Program Interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. It is how the front end of an application (think “phone app” or “website”) can communicate with the data store (think “database” or “file system”)
— The feature exposes endpoints at
/wp/v2/content-guidelines
for retrieving, creating, and updating guidelines. You can
filter
Filter
Filters are one of the two types of Hooks
. They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and output.
by category (
?category=copy
) or block type (
?block=core/paragraph
), making it straightforward for any plugin to retrieve only the guidelines it needs. All endpoints require the
manage_options
capability.
Integration surface
— Guidelines intentionally focuses on capture and retrieval. It doesn’t enforce rules or generate content on its own. Instead, it creates a shared foundation that other features can build on — whether that’s AI-powered tools from the
AI Experiments plugin
, style checkers, linting plugins, or onboarding wizards.
What’s next
This is the first iteration. We’re exploring several directions as the experiment evolves:
AI Experiments integration
— Making guidelines available to experiments like
Generate Review Notes
, so AI-generated feedback reflects your site’s actual standards
Plugin
API
API
An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways.
for custom categories
PHP
PHP
PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML.
filters and registration
hooks
Hooks
In WordPress theme and development, hooks are functions that can be applied to an action or a Filter in WordPress. Actions are functions performed when a certain event occurs in WordPress. Filters allow you to modify certain functions. Arguments used to hook both filters and actions look the same.
so plugins can extend the default categories with their own (e.g., “SEO Guidelines”, “Product Descriptions”)
Richer guideline structure
— Support for more structured formats within categories, such as DOs and DON’Ts, examples, and nested sub-sections
WordPress 7.1 proposal
— We’re considering proposing Guidelines for inclusion in WordPress 7.1, moving it from an experiment toward a
core
Core
Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.
feature that the broader ecosystem can build on.
Get involved
We’d love your feedback as this experiment evolves. If you’d like to try it:
Install the
Gutenberg plugin
(version 22.7 or later)
Enable the experiment under
Settings > Gutenberg Experiments
Head to
Settings > Guidelines
and start defining your content standards
The most helpful feedback right now:
What content standards do you wish tools would consistently follow?
Does the category structure (Site, Copy, Images, Blocks, Additional) cover your needs?
If you’re a plugin author, how would you use the REST API?
As always, we welcome feedback, testing, and contributions from the community. The tracking issue is
#75171
, and feedback is welcome there or in the comments below.
Contributors
Thank you to everyone who helped shape and review this feature, including
aagam94
andrewserong
aswasif007
fditrapani
@iamchughmayank
isotropic
ramonopoly
saroshaga
and the broader WordPress community for feedback on the initial proposal and code reviews.
Props to
dhruvang21
and
gziolo
for reviewing this post.
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