State of the Word

Jean Harris release 6.9

Contributors users and creators

AI Progression

• 2022 ChatGPT launches

  2023 GPT-4

  2023 Claude launches

  2024 Multimodal video generation

  2025 AI everywhere

WordPress 6.9 brings major upgrades to how teams collaborate and create. The new Notes feature introduces block-level commenting when writing posts and pages that streamlines reviews, while the expanded Command Palette makes it faster for power users to navigate and operate across the entire dashboard. The new Abilities API provides a standardized, machine-readable permissions system that opens the door for next generation AI-powered and automated workflows. This release also delivers notable performance improvements for faster page loads and adds several practical new blocks alongside a more visual drag and drop to help creators build richer, more dynamic content.

We are trying to take an approach where we are empowering, not replacing people. 

Benchmarks 

AI in the WordPress ecosystem

Telex creates interesting Gutenberg blocks.

The Abilities API

Unlocking the next generation of site interactions.

MCP allows us to connect to all AI systems. Now it generates AI with plug-in commands. 

WordPress 6.9 lays the groundwork for the future of automation with the unified Abilities API. By creating a standardized registry for site functionality, developers can now register, validate, and execute actions consistently across any context—from PHP and REST endpoints to AI agents—paving the way for smarter, more connected WordPress experiences.

Interface Workflow: Ability<any, any>|Control<any>[]

The HTML API continues to enable new ways of reliably working with and modifying HTML code server side. This effort is cutting down the complexity and cost of modifying HTML within PHP.

WP_HTML_Processor::serialize_token()

Write | Design | Build | Develop

Blueprints.phar

Accessibility Improvements

More than 30 accessibility fixes sharpen the core WordPress experience. These updates improve screen reader announcements, hide unnecessary CSS-generated content from assistive tech, fix cursor placement issues, and make sure typing focus stays put even when users click an autocomplete suggestion.

Performance enhancements

WordPress 6.9 delivers significant frontend performance enhancements, optimizing the site loading experience for visitors. 6.9 boasts an improved LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) through on-demand block styles for classic themes, minifying block theme styles, and increasing the limit for inline styles – removing blockages to page rendering and clearing the rendering path by deprioritizing non-critical scripts. This release comes with many more performance boosts, including optimized database queries, refined caching, improved spawning of WP Cron, and a new template enhancement output buffer that opens the door for more future optimizations.

WordPress and AI: The Path Foreword

WordPress Release Lead. Matt Mullenweg, CEO, Automattic. (2025, December).

WordPress Release Coordinator. Amy Kamala, Web Development Manager, InMotion Hosting. (2025, December).

WordPress Release Coordinator. Akshaya Rane, Team Lead Solution architect, Multidots. (2025, December).

WordPress Release Lead. David Baumwald, CEO, Automattic. (2025, December).

WordPress Release Coordinator.  Ella van Durpe, Plug In Developer, Automattic. (2025, December).

WordPress Release Coordinator.  Héctor Prieto, Core Contributor, Automattic. (2025, December).

WordPress Design Lead. Francisco Vera, Product Developer, Automattic. (2025, December).

WordPress Triage Lead. Aki Hamano, Freelance Developer, WordPress Core Committer. (2025, December).

WordPress Triage Lead. Ryan Welcher, Developer Relations Advocate, Automattic. (2025, December).

WordPress Test Lead. Jonathan Bossenger, Plug In Developer, Automattic. (2025, December).

WordPress Test Lead. Krupa Nanda, QA Engineer. (2025, December).

WordPress Triage Lead. James LePage, Freelance Developer, Automatic. (2025, December).

WordPress Triage Lead. Mary Hubbard, Executive Director, WordPress (2025, December).

WordPress Test Lead. Felix Arntz, Software Engineer, Google. (2025, December).

WordPress Test Lead. Jeff Paul, VP of Open Source Solutions, 10up. (2025, December).