Over the past two years, I’ve used GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, and Gemini almost daily while building WordPress themes. They’ve changed how I write code, draft content, and debug problems — but they’ve also shown me exactly where AI falls short. Here’s what’s actually working in the WordPress AI space right now, and where the gaps are.
Transforming Blogging, Business, and WordPress Development
What does AI mean for bloggers, business owners, and WordPress developers? It’s already reshaping how we work — from generating first drafts to catching security vulnerabilities in code.
As a WordPress Theme Developer
I’ve been testing AI tools in my development workflow since 2023. With tools like GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, and Gemini, I’ve seen firsthand what AI brings to the development process — and where it still needs a human in the loop.
I’ll also be using AI tools to update the code for DevWP WordPress Development Training Theme and will document the process in ongoing video tutorials.
My goal is to demonstrate some of the strengths and weaknesses of AI, while also teaching people how to code their own custom WordPress theme. If you want to get the code for DevWP, you can find it here: Get DevWP.
Check out the Video
AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and GitHub Copilot are making it faster to create content and write code. On the visual side, tools like Canva, Adobe Firefly, MidJourney, and DALL-E let you generate quality graphics without needing a graphic designer.
How AI Is Being Used in WordPress Today
With AI, you can finally be a one person team. Here are some of the most practical applications:
- Content Creation: Generate blog posts, product descriptions, and article drafts — then edit them into your own voice.
- SEO Optimization: Plugins like WordLift analyze your content and suggest improvements to help you rank higher in search results.
- Personalized User Experience: Recommend content, products, or services based on visitor behavior and interests.
- Chatbots: AI-powered chatbots handle customer support, answer questions, and even sell products without you being online.
- Task Automation: Spam filtering, comment moderation, and social media posting can all run on autopilot.
- Security: AI tools scan for insecure code, weak passwords, and configuration issues to keep your site following WordPress security best practices.
Will AI Be Baked into WordPress Core?
It’s possible, but don’t hold your breath. WordPress Core prioritizes stability, security, performance, and usability — and AI introduces complications on all four fronts.
The main obstacles:
- Licensing: Most AI models are proprietary or carry restrictive licenses that conflict with WordPress’s GPL open-source philosophy.
- Cost: AI features require API calls that cost money per request — not something you can bundle into free open-source software without a funding model.
- Complexity: Core serves everyone from bloggers to enterprise developers. Adding AI features without making the dashboard harder to use for non-technical users is a real design challenge.
For now, AI integration in WordPress is best handled through plugins — which is how WordPress has always extended its functionality.
WordPress Plugins for AI
The WordPress Plugin Repository has a growing collection of AI plugins. Here are a few worth exploring:
- AI Engine — build custom chatbots, generate content and images, get title and excerpt suggestions, and use an AI copilot directly in the editor. The most full-featured AI plugin available.
- WordLift — focuses on SEO. Analyzes your content structure and adds schema markup to help search engines understand your site better.
- Link Whisper — uses AI to suggest internal links as you write, which saves the manual work of hunting for related posts to link to.
- Tidio — an all-in-one customer experience tool with AI-powered chatbots, live chat, and multichannel support.
GitHub Copilot
One of the tools I’ve been using since 2023 is GitHub Copilot. It’s been trained on billions of lines of code and works like a pair programmer — suggesting completions, writing boilerplate, and explaining unfamiliar code snippets. I have a video on the topic of how it was trained: “GitHub Copilot Trained on Billions of Lines of Developers Code“.
After using it daily, I find it genuinely useful — especially for repetitive tasks and exploring unfamiliar APIs. That said, it regularly suggests WordPress hooks that don’t exist or generates function signatures that look right but use wrong parameter orders. You still need to verify everything it produces.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT needs no introduction. Since launching on November 30, 2022, it became the fastest growing app of all time. It writes blog posts, product descriptions, code, and can analyze existing code for bugs and improvements. I wrote a full ChatGPT tutorial for beginners if you want a hands-on walkthrough.
OpenAI has shipped significant updates since launch. GPT-4o is now available on the free tier, giving everyone access to the multimodal model that handles text, images, and code. The paid Plus plan adds higher usage limits and access to OpenAI’s reasoning models (the o-series). The old “plugins” system was replaced by custom GPTs — purpose-built assistants you can create and share.
Gemini & Microsoft Copilot
Google’s Gemini (formerly Bard) launched in response to ChatGPT and has evolved significantly since. Gemini 2.0 brought improved code generation and multimodal understanding, and Google has integrated it deeply into Workspace apps like Docs, Sheets, and Gmail. Its direct access to Google Search gives it an edge for real-time information.
Microsoft Copilot runs on OpenAI models and is built into Edge, Windows, and Microsoft 365. It’s the most accessible option if you’re already in the Microsoft ecosystem, and the Office integration means you can use AI directly inside Word, Excel, and PowerPoint without switching tools.
What Others Are Saying About WordPress and AI
If you want to dig deeper into how WordPress and AI are converging, here are some solid reads from respected voices in the community:
- Let’s Talk WordPress Core and AI — Make WordPress. The official core team discussion on whether AI belongs in WordPress itself, with contributor perspectives on licensing and architecture constraints.
- WordPress Contributors Discuss AI Innovation — WPTavern. Covers the community debate around enabling AI through better APIs rather than bundling it into core.
- WordPress Plugins Using AI and Machine Learning — WPBeginner. A broader roundup of AI plugins with use cases and screenshots, good for evaluating options side by side.
- AI Integration in WordPress — Search Engine Journal. Focuses on the SEO and content marketing angle of AI in WordPress, with data on adoption trends.
Where I Stand
I’m using GitHub Copilot daily and ChatGPT regularly, and they’ve already changed how I build WordPress themes. The plugin ecosystem is where most of the AI action is happening right now — and that’s probably the right approach until the technology stabilizes.
If you want to see AI-assisted WordPress development in action, follow along with the DevWP tutorial series where I’m documenting the whole process.
WordPress AI FAQ
Can ChatGPT Build a WordPress Website?
ChatGPT can generate theme code, write plugin scaffolding, and create content — but it can’t deploy a site or configure hosting for you. Think of it as a coding assistant that speeds up development, not a replacement for knowing how WordPress works under the hood.
What Is the Best AI Plugin for WordPress?
It depends on what you need. AI Engine is the most full-featured option for content generation and chatbots. WordLift is best for SEO and schema markup. Link Whisper handles internal linking suggestions. Start with one plugin that solves your biggest pain point rather than installing several at once.
Is GitHub Copilot Worth It for WordPress Development?
If you write code daily, yes. It’s especially useful for repetitive tasks like writing hooks, registering post types, and generating boilerplate functions. It won’t replace understanding WordPress internals, but it cuts down the time you spend on routine code.
Will AI Replace WordPress Developers?
Not anytime soon. AI handles the repetitive parts — boilerplate code, first drafts, routine debugging — so you can focus on architecture decisions, client requirements, and the problems that actually need a human brain. Every AI tool I’ve used still needs someone who understands WordPress to review and fix its output.