WordPress Steps Into the Future with AI

WordPress has revealed plans to set up a dedicated AI Team, signalling a notable change in its approach to artificial intelligence after being slower than others in adopting the technology.

The newly-formed team will focus on coordinating efforts to develop and integrate AI tools into the core WordPress platform. Much like the existing Performance Team, this group will concentrate on creating canonical plugins. These plugins allow users to try out new features before decisions are made about whether to permanently include them in the platform.

The main objective is to bring strategic direction to WordPress’s AI development. The team will support rapid testing, encourage smooth deployment, and serve as a central hub for AI-related ideas and collaboration.

Two Google employees are expected to be involved in this effort: Felix Arntz and Pascal Birchler. Arntz, a Senior Software Engineer at Google, has long been involved in contributing to the WordPress core and has served as a lead on the Performance Team.

Pascal Birchler, another key contributor, works as a Developer Relations Engineer. He has recently led the initiative to bring the Model Context Protocol (MCP) into WordPress through WP-CLI, which is a command-line interface for WordPress.

WordPress described the creation of the AI Team as a significant milestone in its continued growth and development.

In the official announcement, the move was praised as a step forward for the platform’s evolution. The statement read: “This is an exciting and important step in WordPress’s evolution. I look forward to seeing what we’ll create together and in the open.”

This development reflects WordPress’s intention to keep pace with wider industry trends, especially as AI becomes more central to digital tools and online publishing platforms.

By formally supporting AI innovation, WordPress aims to give its user base more flexibility and access to cutting-edge functionality.

As the project takes shape, it’s likely that we’ll see more experimental tools and plugins released for testing by the community, paving the way for smarter, AI-assisted content creation and site management.

For now, the announcement has been positively received across the WordPress ecosystem, with many eager to see how AI will be used to improve the user experience.

The establishment of the AI Team represents a more focused and collaborative approach to development—one that invites input from both developers and users.

With experienced contributors like Arntz and Birchler on board, the WordPress community is hopeful that this new chapter will deliver meaningful and practical results.

WordPress First Steps On Path Blazed By Competitors

The creation of an AI team by WordPress has been a long time coming, especially considering how other platforms have already embraced artificial intelligence.

For instance, the latest version of the open-source content management system Drupal has been developed with built-in AI features. These tools are specifically designed to provide a more user-friendly experience for marketers and content creators.

Elsewhere, proprietary CMS providers such as Wix have already integrated AI tools into their platforms. These enhancements support users by simplifying website creation and management tasks.

Even e-commerce platform Shopify has introduced AI-driven functionality into its workflows, helping sellers manage content, improve customer experiences, and streamline operations.

WordPress’s move to establish an AI team is, therefore, seen as a much-needed step to stay competitive with these rapidly evolving platforms.