This week’s AI contributor meeting focused on progress toward a proposed WordPress AI Client merge for WordPress 7.0, contributor capacity ahead of the February 19 Beta 1 milestone, and a live demonstration of an AI-powered GatherPress workflow built on the Abilities API and WP AI Client. The group also discussed tradeoffs between different AI integration approaches and where contributors can most effectively help in the coming weeks.
WP AI Client and 7.0 Timeline
The group revisited the status of the WordPress AI Client and the urgency of moving the work forward ahead of the mid-February Beta 1 deadline.
- @jeffpaul confirmed that the WP AI Client is being proposed for inclusion in WordPress 7.0, with the understanding that LLM providers will live outside of core as separate packages or plugins.
- @justlevine emphasized the importance of shipping a strong technical implementation early to avoid unnecessary scrutiny and technical debt.
- While a Make/Core proposal draft exists, the group agreed that publishing a concrete technical PR to
wordpress-developis the most important next step. - Contributors agreed to check in with @flixos90 and @jason_the_adams in the Core AI channel to identify immediate gaps where help is needed.
There was alignment that, while 7.0 remains the goal, deferring to 7.1 is acceptable if more iteration time is required.
GatherPress AI Assistant Demo
@jmarx75 shared a live demonstration of an AI assistant built into GatherPress, a WordPress.org project intended to replace Meetup-style functionality for WordPress events.
The demo showcased:
- Creating events and venues using natural language prompts
- Date calculation handled via a dedicated ability
- Stateful conversations that allow follow-up updates (e.g., refining event descriptions)
- Direct use of the Abilities API mapped to PHP functions exposed via REST
@jmarx75 noted that the implementation currently prioritizes functionality over polish and highlighted areas for future improvement, including UI refinement, link handling, and prompt cost optimization. The group agreed the demo was a strong real-world example of how the Abilities API and WP AI Client can be used to build embedded, task-focused AI experiences within WordPress.
WPAI Client vs. MCP Adapter Discussion
A detailed discussion followed comparing approaches for building AI-powered workflows:
- @raftaar1191 suggested using the MCP adapter with external AI tools to reduce implementation complexity.
- @justlevine and others noted that while MCP can be useful in some scenarios, using the WP AI Client and Abilities API offers better control over context, multi-step workflows, and future compatibility with embedded or host-provided models.
- @jmarx75 clarified that GatherPress requires AI functionality embedded directly in the WordPress admin experience, making the WP AI Client approach the best fit for current goals.
The group agreed there is no single “correct” approach, and that experimentation across both models is valuable as the ecosystem evolves.
Cost, Providers, and Future Flexibility
Cost and accessibility considerations were also discussed:
- @jmarx75 raised concerns about token costs for casual users and the complexity of managing API keys.
- Contributors suggested using smaller or cheaper models where possible and noted that MCP-based approaches may be cost-effective for users on flat-rate subscriptions.
- @jeffpaul reiterated that provider integrations will not ship in core and will instead be distributed separately, allowing flexibility without coupling WordPress core to specific vendors, and that open source and free models are ones he hopes to most strongly advocate for.
There was general agreement that the current direction keeps WordPress well-positioned for future developments such as embedded models or host-managed AI offerings.
Next steps
- Contributors will ask @flixos90 and @jason_the_adams in the Core AI channel where immediate help is needed on the WP AI Client.
- @jmarx75 will continue refining the GatherPress AI assistant and address feedback from the demo.
- Contributors are encouraged to help push the WP AI Client technical PR forward to allow meaningful review ahead of the February 19 Beta 1 deadline.
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 https://make.wordpress.org/meetings/#ai.
- The next bi-weekly AI Team Chat Slack discussion is scheduled for 5 February 2026.
- The next weekly AI Contributor weekly Google Meet video call is scheduled for 4 February 2026.
Props to @psykro for pre-publish review.