WordPress AI Client Proposal Prompts Debate Ahead of Planned Core Merge in 7.0

Words that came out of my mouth just now: "Open Source is not a magic wand that allows you to not spend money on software development."

Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again. #Pinks #ProudBlue

Heads are going to explode 💥 Cato Institute just nuked the lie. Immigrants have cut U.S. deficits by $14.5 TRILLION since 1994, slashing the national debt by a third. All that “immigrants are bleeding us dry” noise? Absolute bullshit. 1/3

VP of Open Source Initiatives @jeffpaul.com joins the Crossword podcast to talk WordPress 7.0, agency insights, and advice for new contributors. crossword.fm/s10/e14/

Happy 9th Birthday Gutenberg! github.com/WordPress/gu...

Making it clearer how to contribute to @wordpress.org in an AI era. We just published the first version of our AI Guidelines and would love your feedback! make.wordpress.org/ai/2026/02/0...

I’ve wanted this for a while: A way for the Post Date block in WordPress to automatically append the modified date, but only when it differs from the publish date. Finally published a writeup and a plugin to implement this:

Agree and Amplify: Funding Open Source as Digital Infrastructure Open source software powers critical digital infrastructure, but funding rarely reaches the people who maintain it. In response to Dries Buytaert’s recent post on funding open source for digital sovereignty, I argue that this is not…

In an interview with Authority Magazine, our digital product design leader, Jessica Wagner, shares how we think about product growth, and how that thinking shows up in our client projects. fueled.com/blog/intervi...

Trust is interesting because it’s not quantifiable but it certainly is palpable. Teams with trust move lightning speeds faster than those without.

The biggest risk in this moment is something sociologists call “symbolic compliance.” That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.

AI Experiments, WordPress 7.0, Gutenberg 22.3 and 22.4, Playground for theme builders — Weekend Edition 354 Read onlineIssue #354 | January 24, 2026 Hi there! Yes, it's been a while. Did you miss me? I hope you and yours had a great start to the new year, and I wish you a healthy, happy and…

Discover WordPress's bold vision for 2026: enhancing collaboration, AI integration, media handling, and community growth. With clear goals and open participation, we're building a faster, smarter, more inclusive platform. Learn more: make.wordpress.org/project/20... #WordPress

WordCamp Asia 2026 is offering two scholarships (the Kim Parsell Memorial and the Diversity Fund) to help contributors attend in Mumbai. Covers airfare, accommodation, and event pass. 📆 Apply by Feb 15, 2026. Details: wp.me/pgnY82-1JP #WCAsia #WordPress

How should digital design and content evolve in 2026? Our Senior Director of Research & Design digs in with her latest report, 6 for 2026. It explores how digital content and experience can still drive impact in a world where it's increasingly ubiquitous.

The Fourth Amendment is about privacy and limits on government power: no unreasonable searches, no fishing expeditions, and warrants must be specific. www.law.cornell.edu/constitution...

They are targeting children because they are trying incite violence. I have talked to many journalists today, and they all made the same observation: Border Patrol and ICE have been rolling around with maximum aggression, lingering for ages as crowds, gather, seemingly trying to cause a riot.

Make every person serving in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government watch this and then ask them if ICE should be funded.

AI Experiments 0.2.0 is out! Now you can generate excerpts right from the editor & explore all registered Abilities in the new Abilities Explorer. This update also brings quality-of-life improvements & developer tooling to help shape real AI workflows in WordPress. make.wordpress.org/ai/2026/01/2...

Whether you contributed every week or just followed along, your perspective matters. The WordPress 6.9 release retrospective is open until January 15, 2026. Help share feedback via the form or in the comments: make.wordpress.org/core/2025/... #WordPress

There's a few days left to submit @wordpress.org 6.9 release cycle feedback. All are welcome to share feedback (even those who did not contribute directly to the release). Understanding what did/did not go well is the only way processes can be improved! So take a moment to fill out this short form 🙏

Such a long, long time to be gone And a short time to be there RIP Bob Weir www.jambase.com/article/bob-...

RIP Bob Weir

The goal here is martial law. It’s martial law. Let’s be clear about that.

i love the beginning of the year because everyone starts blogging. and if you (yes you) were thinking about starting, this is your sign

Zeel Thakkar believed in opening doors for others to learn, contribute, and grow. An anonymous WordPress community member has offered 20 complimentary event tickets to women and girls who require financial assistance to attend WC Kolhapur 2026. Details here: kolhapur.wordcamp.org/2026/in...

I won’t lie, these past months, merging two companies haven’t always been easy. But I’m still so incredibly proud to work for a company that is putting in the work, showing up for the community, and improving the web at large. fueled.com/blog/wordpre...

A Charlie Brown Christmas – 1000 pieces From Christmas to New Year's Eve, we embarked on a puzzling journey with friends. A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1000 pieces, a perfect blend of holiday spirit and family fun!

As we enter the New Year remember fear of making bad art is holding you back. Fear of people not liking your work is holding you back. Rejection is holding you back You'll make bad art, you'll have people not like your work, and you'll be rejected. Moving past it is half the job of being a creative

Bluesky, a reintroduction! I’m an investigative reporter @chicagotribune.com covering big stories. Now focused on immigration. But I’ll take any tips about people being hurt by government, junk science, healthcare, business or anybody else. Reach out [email protected] or Signal grp.27

Here’s to 2026

Pomanders on Christmas

For Jesus’ birthday this year, he’s asking for affordable housing, universal healthcare, and for people to stop using his name to explain why they’re being cruel to strangers.

Reflections on State of the Word 2025 and the Future of AI in WordPress AI took center stage at State of the Word 2025. Here is my personal look at the AI panel, the trends we discussed, and how the AI Experiments plugin is opening the door to new tools and workflows inside WordPress.

Proud to see 15 contributors from Fueled playing a lead role bringing @wordpress.org 6.9's headline feature to life. Encouraged by the focus on collaboration + AI architecture, continuing on into 7.0. 🙌🏻 Shout out to @jeffpaul.com & Ophelia Rose for their leadership in shipping the Notes feature. 💬

Fueled is helping shape the future of AI features inside WordPress, starting with the first official AI plugin. 🤖 We led the release of the AI Experiments plugin, which brings practical AI into the WordPress UI, and models how devs can use new core AI architecture. fueled.com/blog/ai-expe...

Appreciate this letter from MN State Sen Jim Abler (R-Anoka) to POTUS

Their closing message to Indiana: change your maps to artificially benefit the President's political party or 'roads will not be paved' as punishment. They are openly saying this. Who would want to live in a country that works like that?

So thankful for the 900+ contributors and 279 first-time contributors, and even more so proud of the 15 from Fueled, who helped bring us WordPress 6.9. Now time for some rest over the year end and then back at it for 7.0! 🚀

die-hard | adjective | strongly or fanatically determined or devoted Die Hard | noun | a Christmas movie

Heading into the weekend with a little polish on the @wordpress.org AI Experiments plugin where you can now Live Demo via WordPress Playground; while we're only on version 0.1.1, feel free to give it a test and share your ideas for what experiments you'd like to see! wordpress.org/plugins/ai/

State of the Word 2025 has come and gone, but the story doesn’t end there. Catch the full keynote replay, the ideas, the demos, and the community moments that define WordPress. 🎥 Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_DF4... #WordPress #StateOfTheWord

Meet WordPress 6.9 “Gene”. This release delivers collaboration with soul. Notes in the editor, smooth drag and drop, new creative blocks, and faster performance across your site. Discover what is new and upgrade today: wordpress.org/download/releas... #WordPress

Excited for @wordpress.org #StateOfTheWord w/@ma.tt sharing all that's happened this past year & whats to come next. A lot to be excited about in today's #WordPress 6.9 release, what's coming in 7.0, not to mention all the excitement around the WordPress #AI team! www.youtube.com/live/NqQICC3...

The AI Experiments plugin for WordPress is now live! It introduces a new home for testing AI-powered features, starting with Title Generation in the block editor. Give it a try and help shape the future of AI in WordPress: make.wordpress.org/ai/2025/11/2... #WordPress #AI #WPAI #AIExperiments

7 days until State of the Word 2025. This year’s keynote is being broadcast live from San Francisco and coincides with the release of WordPress 6.9. Expect demos, a look at what is next for WordPress, and a live Q&A. Details here: wordpress.org/state-of-the-word/ #StateOfTheWord #WordPress

The third Release Candidate for WordPress 6.9 is live! This milestone is crucial for testing and feedback, ensuring the quality of the upcoming final release. Your insights help shape the future of WordPress. Try it now and contribute to the community! Download here: wp.me/pZhYe-52t #WordPress

Updates can feel like wins! But if your changelog reads "bug fixes," it can turn into a scavenger hunt. 🧐 A clear changelog builds trust, reduces confusion, and boosts your professional image. Read more: developer.wordpress.org/news/... #WordPressDevelopment