Core-AI Contributor Check-in – Aug 6th, 2025

The dev team discussed the progress of their AI client SDK, with a primary focus on completing the “foundation” work to unblock other team members. Jason and Felix, the key contributors to this part of the project, outlined their plan to finalize the foundational code and review a new PR for the Provider Registry. They expressed the urgency of this work, aiming to have it finished before WordCamp US to allow others to build upon it.

The team also discussed the frequency of their meetings, weighing the benefits of weekly meetings for making quick decisions against the risk of “meeting hell” and the existing bi-weekly slack chats. They decided to maintain the weekly meeting schedule for now, as it provides a valuable touchpoint for major decisions and unblocks progress more efficiently than written communication.

Finally, they addressed the scope and roadmap of the experimental AI Plugin. There’s a need for a clear, public discussion to align the work being done by different teams and to ensure it’s on the right path. James suggested using the upcoming bi-weekly chat to hash out the roadmap and the distinction between “essential” and “experimental” features. The goal is to have the core building blocks ready for WordCamp US to facilitate in-person collaboration.

Highlights

AI Client SDK Progress

• Foundation work is a priority: Jason and Felix are nearing completion of the foundational code for the AI client SDK.
• Finalizing PRs: Jason plans to submit one final PR for the foundation and coordinate with Felix to get it merged quickly.
• Unblocking other teams: The primary goal is to finish this work to allow other developers, like Dave, to begin implementing providers and other features.
• WordCamp US deadline: The team is pushing to have the three key packages (abilities, MCP, and PHP client SDK) in a usable state by WordCamp US to facilitate discussion and collaboration.

Meeting Cadence and Communication

• Weekly vs. Bi-weekly: The team debated the effectiveness of their weekly meeting schedule versus the existing bi-weekly Slack chats.
• Purpose of weekly meetings: The consensus was that the weekly meetings are crucial for making quick decisions and unblocking progress, which is faster than written communication in Slack.
• Maintaining agility: The team agreed to continue the weekly meetings for the time being, with the understanding that they don’t need to fill the entire time if all agenda items are addressed quickly.

Discussion on Formulating Milestones

• Milestones for WordCamp US: The team’s immediate milestone is to have the three key project components—abilities, MCP (Media Co-Pilot), and the PHP client SDK—in a usable state by WordCamp US. The goal is to use this event as a platform for in-person collaboration and further discussions about the future of the projects.
• Need for milestone dates: The team acknowledged that while some repositories have milestones, they lack specific dates. A consensus was reached that setting dates is crucial for maintaining momentum and keeping the team on track.
• Iterative Milestones: It was noted that some milestones, particularly for the foundation work, are iterative. The team recognized that the foundational work needs to be completed well before WordCamp US to allow time for the other pieces to be built on top of it.
• Milestone as a Public Conversation: The team decided that the discussion about milestones should be moved to a public Slack channel to include broader community input and ensure all stakeholders are aligned. This approach is intended to provide greater transparency and accountability. Tammie agreed to take this on.

Experimental AI Plugin Roadmap

• Need for clarity: There is a recognized need to clearly define the near, medium, and long-term scope of the experimental AI Plugin.
• Public discussion: James and Jeffrey agreed that a public discussion in the core slack channel is the best way to align all stakeholders and get buy-in from the community.
• Essential vs. Experimental: The conversation will focus on distinguishing between “essential” features (like basic AI functionality) and more “experimental” ones (like an AI chatbot in the site editor).
• WordCamp US as a milestone: The team sees WordCamp US as an opportunity to collaborate in person on the future of the plugin, once the foundational building blocks are in place.