{"id":223650,"date":"2025-04-22T07:39:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T07:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/?p=223650"},"modified":"2025-04-20T08:58:11","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T08:58:11","slug":"the-wordpress-ai-builder-said-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/the-wordpress-ai-builder-said-what\/","title":{"rendered":"The WordPress AI Builder Said WHAT?!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Read to the end to see a masterpiece by a medieval artist who has <em>definitely<\/em> seen an elephant before.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In today\u2019s edition:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>WordPress 6.8 is like avant-garde jazz piano: mostly improvisation with just enough form to keep you from panicking. <\/li>\n<li>What happens when you ask AI to make your plumbing business website funnier.<\/li>\n<li>Some head-scratching WordPress questions that will ignite heated Slack debates and existential crises.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Hot Off The Presses: What\u2019s New?<\/h2>\n<div class=\"image-grid cgrid-row\">\n<div class=\"cgrid-col cgrid-col-span-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/funny-internet-warning-tweet-klara.jpg\" alt=\"Funny tweet by Klara joking that the dial-up modem noise was a warning about the internet, and we ignored it.\" width=\"599\" height=\"292\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-223651\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Once upon a time, connecting to the internet sounded like a robot having a panic attack in a blender. And we, brave fools, took it as a sign of progress. <\/p>\n<p>And now we live in a world where AI builds websites with the personality of a wet sock, plugin pricing debates turn into mini TED Talks on economic justice and accessibility is still treated like a feature, not a basic requirement. <\/p>\n<p>If only we\u2019d listened to the screams. <\/p>\n<p>ANYWAY\u2026 Here\u2019s what\u2019s new in WordPress this fortnight. <\/p>\n<h2>Hellooooooo 6.8! \u201cCecil\u201d Is Ready To Rock<\/h2>\n<p>Cue the freeform jazz piano. WordPress 6.8, lovingly nicknamed after avant-garde piano legend Cecil Taylor, has officially dropped. Since it\u2019s likely the only major release of WordPress we\u2019ll be seeing this year, we may as well take a good look at what Cecil has to offer.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re building with WordPress as a serious dev platform, 6.8 gives you more power, more structure, and better UX for clients. It\u2019s not flashy, but it\u2019s solid. Here are a few intriguing little tweaks that might improve your workflow:<\/p>\n<h3>Design Tools Extended to More Blocks<\/h3>\n<p>Several Core blocks received sorely-needed design tool updates, giving you more consistency in your block styling options. Check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/core\/2025\/03\/12\/roster-of-design-tools-per-block-wordpress-6-8-edition\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">roster of design tools per block<\/a> to learn more.<\/p>\n<h3>Organize your Custom Patterns in Subfolders<\/h3>\n<p>Untangle the spaghetti that is your patterns files and <a href=\"https:\/\/core.trac.wordpress.org\/ticket\/62378\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">organize them into sub-folders<\/a>. Keep header patterns with header patterns, footer patterns with footer patterns and so on. Ahhh\u2026 so clean and tidy!<\/p>\n<h3>Style Book Support for Classic Themes<\/h3>\n<p>Finally. Now you can <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/WordPress\/gutenberg\/pull\/66851\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">use the Style Book when a classic theme is enabled<\/a>, which means more sites can benefit from this visual editing tool.<\/p>\n<h3>Better Buttons Block, Baby!<\/h3>\n<p>The Buttons block has been <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/WordPress\/gutenberg\/pull\/65716\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">zhuzhed up with box-sizing: border box applied<\/a>, so that its size will match other blocks when padding and background color are applied. It\u2019s a tiny tweak that makes a big difference.<\/p>\n<p>This update is the quiet game-changer we\u2019ve been waiting for. More power, more control, and less headache for developers. You can explore more juicy details here: <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/16\/wordpress-6-8-developers\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Developer\u2019s Guide to WordPress 6.8<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>So, what\u2019s your verdict? Are you diving into these updates like a kid in a candy store, or are you left wanting more?<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>The New WordPress AI Site Builder: Kinda Cool or a Waste of Time?<\/h2>\n<p>Alright, alright\u2026 we\u2019ve gotta talk about it. It\u2019s the uncanny medieval elephant in the room: The new <em><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.com\/ai-website-builder\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress AI Site Builder<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>In case you missed it, WordPress.com has launched an AI-powered site builder aimed at users who want a quick, easy way to build a site without needing to know a single line of code.<\/p>\n<p>According to their marketing, it\u2019s the \u201ceasiest way to start a website,\u201d which is true if your goal is a vaguely professional-looking homepage built on vibes, Lorem Ipsum and 30 free AI prompts.<\/p>\n<p>Matt Medeiros from WPMinute <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SxrWvHv90wM&#038;feature=youtu.be\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">gave it a spin<\/a> and seemed genuinely impressed, though even he side-eyed the AI-generated color choices, which were, let\u2019s say <em>aggressive<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The AI will also help you write your content, which is fantastic if your brain is burnt out and you black out every time you look at an empty text box, I suppose. Want a funny tagline? \u201cWe make your leaks our laughs\u201d is what it came up with for Matt\u2019s pretend plumbing business, \u201cUnstuck Plumbing.\u201d Truly top-tier comedy genius stuff. \ud83d\udc4f\ud83d\ude44<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-grid cgrid-row\">\n<div class=\"cgrid-col cgrid-col-span-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unstuck-plumbing-ai-generated-tagline-1050x669.png\" alt=\"Illustration of a van labeled &#039;Unstuck Plumbing \u2013 We make your leaks our laughs,&#039; created as a funny AI-generated tagline example in WordPress.com\u2019s new AI Site Builder.\" width=\"1050\" height=\"669\" class=\"aligncenter size-ratio-full wp-image-223653\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Not everyone, however, is a huge fan of the AI site builder:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When Amanda Smith from Cnet tried it, she deemed it a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/i-tried-wordpress-ai-to-create-a-new-website-it-was-a-waste-of-time\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">waste of time<\/a>\u201d and a \u201cbig fat no.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Digital Consultant Warren Laine-Naida gave it a resounding \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/WarrenLNaida\/status\/1909968606286295366\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">no thank you,<\/a>\u201d and wants a better Media Library instead.<\/li>\n<li>Webmaster Andrew Hoyer thinks it\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/andrewhoyer\/status\/1910022017526694128\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">literally the last thing we need,<\/a>\u201d especially when other improvements could be made.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As Neel Shivdasani, Automattic\u2019s AI Product Lead, explained in <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/09\/ai-website-builder\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the launch post<\/a>, this tool isn\u2019t meant to replace manual editing completely anytime soon. It\u2019s meant to be something that helps folks with no coding skills get online, fast.<\/p>\n<p>But let\u2019s be honest. This toy might be kinda fun to play with, but it\u2019s not replacing the skill of a real web designer anytime soon.<\/p>\n<p><strong>HOT TAKE TIME<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The AI Site Builder is:<br \/>\nA: Cool &#038; convenient<br \/>\nB: Meh, not for pros<br \/>\nC: Utter chaos. Send help.<\/p>\n<p>Comment with your opinion! <\/p>\n<h2>Some Thought-Provoking Conversations Worth Having<\/h2>\n<p>Sure, we love a good meme and a fun new plugin as much as the next newsletter, but sometimes the WordPress world gets <em>philosophical<\/em>. We\u2019re talking big ideas, real challenges, and the occasional existential crisis.<\/p>\n<p>From accessibility to the future of the web, these are the questions that make us pause, squint into the middle distance, and say, \u201cHmmmm\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Should you charge users in developing countries less for plugins?<\/strong> When the cost of a plugin equals nearly half-a-year\u2019s income in Pakistan, Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) pricing <a href=\"https:\/\/gauravtiwari.org\/wordpress-product-price-hikes\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">becomes a serious consideration.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Are we ignoring the power of open standards in favor of convenience?<\/strong> Sure, quick solutions are nice, but at what cost? If we keep prioritizing shortcuts and proprietary tools, are we sacrificing the long-term health of the WordPress ecosystem? Listen to Aaron D. Campbell\u2019s take on <a href=\"https:\/\/wptavern.com\/podcast\/165-aaron-d-campbell-why-open-standards-and-wordpress-matter\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">why open standards matter for WordPress.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Are you emotionally prepared to delete that code you worked hard on?<\/strong> This article by Milana Cap challenges you to <a href=\"https:\/\/developerka.org\/2025\/04\/02\/relax-its-just-code\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">not be too precious about your code<\/a> and find joy in the process, so you can be more open to learning from experimentation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>What\u2019s the real cost of inaccessible eCommerce?<\/strong> If your site isn\u2019t accessible, you\u2019re actively turning away paying customers. So why is accessibility still seen as a cost center instead of a conversion booster? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commercegurus.com\/accessible-ecommerce-bet-hannon\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">This convo with Bet Hannon<\/a> will flip your perspective.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Will websites even still exist in a few years?<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/podcast.wptownhall.show\/2414460\/episodes\/16965972-012-what-do-enterprise-web-projects-actually-look-like-w-jake-goldman\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">This conversation is worth a listen<\/a> if you\u2019re in the web development, WordPress or agency space.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Feel free to share your spiciest takes on these questions with us &#8211; we\u2019d love to hear what you think. <\/p>\n<h2>Mind Bloggling Facts &#038; Stats<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>According to the results of The Admin Bar\u2019s 2025 Survey, 57.3% of y\u2019all are like, \u201cI, for one, welcome our new robot overlords\u2026\u201d (That\u2019s the percentage who answered, \u201cembracing it\u201d when asked, \u201cWhat is your relationship with AI in your agency?\u201d) (<a href=\"https:\/\/theadminbar.com\/2025-survey\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Wanna guess what Wordfence discovered was the most common access requirement to exploit vulnerabilities in 2024? Contributor-level access. It accounted for a staggering 34% of all vulnerabilities disclosed! (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordfence.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/2024-annual-wordpress-security-report-by-wordfence\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Speaking of vulnerabilities, a recently spotted SureTriggers vulnerability has put more than 100,000 websites at risk. Update the plugin to version 1.0.79 or later &#8211; even if it\u2019s inactive but still installed. (<a href=\"https:\/\/thecyberexpress.com\/suretriggers-vulnerability\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Blogs &#038; Resources You Shouldn\u2019t Miss<\/h2>\n<p>Talking Heads stan? Abby Wood drops a GIF you\u2019ll love in her <a href=\"https:\/\/theadminbar.com\/why-am-i-not-generating-high-quality-leads-for-my-web-dev-agency\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">killer lead-gen blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Michelle Frechette shows you how to <a href=\"https:\/\/poststatus.com\/decluttering-your-resume\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Marie-Kondo your CV<\/a> and yeet anything that won\u2019t spark joy for potential employers.<\/p>\n<p>Should you switch form Substack to WordPress? Well, WordPress definitely thinks so. <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/10\/switch-from-substack\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Here\u2019s their pitch.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Building new stuff is fun, but maintenance is where the money is. <a href=\"https:\/\/thewpminute.com\/why-wordpress-maintenance-could-be-key-for-your-freelance-business\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Here\u2019s why<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Git turns 20, and <a href=\"https:\/\/github.blog\/open-source\/git\/git-turns-20-a-qa-with-linus-torvalds\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Linus Torvalds is still wondering<\/a> how his \u201cstupid content tracker\u201d accidentally became the backbone of the internet. Oops!<\/p>\n<p>Eduardo Vill\u00e3o just dropped <em><a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/eduardovillao\/wp-since\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WP Since<\/a><\/em>, a handy tool that checks if your WordPress plugin is actually compatible with the version you say it is.<\/p>\n<h2>Coffee Break Distractions<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/cats\/comments\/1k1l0kx\/does_anyone_else_have_any_human_named_kitties\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">This thread of cats with human names is the serotonin boost we all need right now. (Carl is such a cutie!)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/podcast\/1119-sixteenth-minute-of-fame-172216473\/episode\/the-world-according-to-tay-zonday-272553122\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sixteenth Minute dives deep into the surprisingly political meme classic, \u201cChocolate Rain\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pausetab.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">37,594 tabs open? Corey Maass made PauseTab so you can freeze and schedule them.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/rareinsults\/comments\/1jys1ce\/the_worst_app_ever_it_seems\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">A devastatingly mean one-star review for an app. \ud83d\ude32<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/copilot.microsoft.com\/wham\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Microsoft dropped an AI-made Quake II in-browser. Productivity: annihilated.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8esrU0T_J5Y\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Feeling jazzy? Watch 6.8\u2019s namesake, Cecil Taylor, melt the piano in \u201969 Copenhagen<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tumblr.com\/h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s\/671997152570015744\/relative-posts-meirl?source=share\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">An improvement to Caller ID we\u2019d happily pay extra for.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>And finally\u2026<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/funny\/comments\/1k19dhl\/artist_war_elephants_your_majesty_of_course_i\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">That\u2019s totally what an elephant looks like, right?<\/a> <\/p>\n<p><strong>Found this interesting? Forward it to someone who you think might also love it!<\/strong> \ud83d\udc97<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Read to the end to see a masterpiece by a medieval artist who has definitely seen an elephant before. In today\u2019s edition: WordPress 6.8 is like avant-garde jazz piano: mostly improvisation with just enough form to keep you from panicking. What happens when you ask AI to make your plumbing business website funnier. Some head-scratching [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1204260,"featured_media":223199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"blog_reading_time":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_tutorials_categories":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11265],"tags":[],"tutorials_categories":[],"class_list":["post-223650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dev"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1204260"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223650"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223650\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":223655,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223650\/revisions\/223655"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223650"},{"taxonomy":"tutorials_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tutorials_categories?post=223650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}