WordPress now has an official, opt-in way to bring AI into the editor. Since WordPress 7.0 arrived in May 2026, the software has shipped with a built-in AI Client and a new Connectors screen, and the WordPress project maintains a free companion plugin, simply called AI, that adds practical writing and media tools on top.
For freelancers, bloggers and small business owners who already run WordPress sites, this matters. It means you can connect the AI provider you prefer once, in one place, rather than juggling a separate AI add-on for every task. This guide explains what the WordPress AI plugin actually does, what it costs, how to set it up sensibly, and where it can fit into paid client work.
What changed in WordPress 7.0 and 7.1
WordPress 7.0 “Armstrong” was released on 20 May 2026. Its AI foundations have three parts:
- The AI Client: a provider-agnostic layer in WordPress core that lets plugins send prompts to generative AI models without each plugin building its own integration.
- The Connectors screen (Settings > Connectors): a single hub where a site administrator adds and manages external services, including AI providers and their API keys.
- The Abilities API (first introduced in WordPress 6.9): a standard way for WordPress and plugins to describe what they can do, which AI tools and automations can then use.
Crucially, these features are opt-in. The official 7.0 release page describes the Connectors screen as a place to “opt in by connecting your preferred AI provider”, and WordPress.com’s own summary notes that nothing is shared with AI services simply because you have upgraded.
WordPress 7.1 “Mary Lou” followed in August 2026. It focuses mainly on editing and design (responsive styles, a new image editor, richer Notes with @mentions), but it also extends the Abilities API with features that the release notes say make it easier to build automation and AI-powered tooling. At the time of writing, the current version is WordPress 7.1.2, released on 22 September 2026.
What the WordPress AI plugin does
The AI plugin is published by WordPress.org, requires WordPress 7.0 or later, and was at version 1.3.0 in late September 2026. It is labelled experimental, and each feature is switched on individually through what the plugin calls an Experiment Framework, so you only enable what you want.
Writing and editing tools
- Title generation: suggests headline options for a post.
- Excerpt generation and content summarisation: produces short summaries of long posts.
- Meta description generation: suggests descriptions and, according to the plugin page, integrates with various SEO plugins.
- Slug generation: proposes cleaner permalinks that you can edit before applying.
- Content resizing: shortens, expands or rephrases a selected block.
- Content translation: translates paragraph and heading blocks, and optionally the title.
- Editorial Notes: reviews a post block by block and leaves suggestions on accessibility, readability, grammar and SEO.
Media, organisation and moderation
- Alt text generation for images, which helps with accessibility.
- Image generation and editing from the editor and the Media Library.
- Content classification: suggests tags and categories.
- Comment moderation and a Suggest Reply action on the Comments screen.
- Guidelines: lets AI features respect site-wide editorial standards.
The plugin also lists admin-side tools such as request logging, dashboard widgets, an Abilities Explorer and Connector Approvals, which require an administrator’s explicit approval before other plugins or themes can use the AI connectors on the site.
Two limitations are worth knowing before you plan around it. First, it only works with the block editor; the plugin’s FAQ says there are no plans to support the Classic Editor. Second, because it is experimental, the developers recommend testing on a staging site first and warn that features may change.
What it costs: free plugin, paid (or free-tier) AI usage
The plugin itself is free. What you pay for is the AI provider behind it. The plugin does not include any AI model; you install a connector plugin and add your own API key. WordPress.org maintains three official connectors:
- AI Provider for OpenAI (GPT models, plus image generation)
- AI Provider for Anthropic (Claude models)
- AI Provider for Google (Gemini models, plus Imagen image generation)
API usage is normally billed per token (roughly, per chunk of text processed), and prices differ by model. Check the current rates on OpenAI’s API pricing page, Anthropic’s pricing page or Google’s Gemini API pricing page before you commit, because model line-ups and prices change often.
Google offers a free tier for some Gemini models, but read the small print: its pricing table states that free-tier content is “used to improve our products”, whereas paid-tier content is not. That distinction matters if you are handling client drafts or anything confidential. The AI plugin’s FAQ also mentions local, open-source options such as Ollama, which avoid per-token fees but need suitable hardware and more technical setup.
How to set up the WordPress AI plugin safely
If you are new to self-hosted WordPress, our beginner’s guide to creating a WordPress website covers the basics first. Once your site is running WordPress 7.0 or later, a sensible order is:
- Step 1: Use a staging copy. Many hosts offer one-click staging. Test there, as the plugin’s own FAQ advises.
- Step 2: Install one connector plugin for your chosen provider, then open Settings > Connectors and add the API key.
- Step 3: Install and activate the AI plugin, then enable only the features you need, for example alt text and excerpts.
- Step 4: Set up Guidelines that describe your house style, tone and any words or claims to avoid.
- Step 5: Turn on Connector Approvals so no other plugin can quietly start using your paid AI connection.
- Step 6: Watch usage for the first few weeks in your provider’s dashboard, and use any budget or usage-limit controls the provider offers.
Protect your API key
This step is easy to overlook. A WordPress core proposal published in August 2026, “A Secrets API for WordPress 7.2”, points out that plugins currently store API keys in the database in plain text, so keys end up in every backup, database dump and staging clone. It describes a leaked AI provider key as “a metered spend liability”. That proposal is not yet part of WordPress, so in the meantime:
- Consider the AI plugin’s Key Encryption experiment, which encrypts provider keys at rest.
- Create a separate, dedicated key for each website rather than reusing one key everywhere.
- Rotate keys if a site is compromised or a contractor’s access ends.
- Be careful about sharing database exports with third parties.
Practical workflows for creators and small businesses
The plugin is most useful for the repetitive, low-risk jobs that slow publishing down, not for writing whole articles.
Catching up on image accessibility
Many older sites have hundreds of images with empty alt text. Generated suggestions give you a starting point, but read each one: an AI model cannot know that a photo shows your actual shop, product range or team event unless the context makes it clear.
Finishing posts faster
After writing a draft yourself, you can use title suggestions, excerpt and meta description generation, and slug suggestions to handle the final publishing chores. Editorial Notes can then flag readability or accessibility issues for you to review.
Reaching new audiences
Block-level translation can produce a first draft of a page in another language. For anything customer-facing, such as prices, terms or health and safety information, have a fluent human check it before it goes live.
Keeping comments under control
Toxicity-based moderation and suggested replies can help busy site owners stay on top of comments, although it is still worth deciding on a clear moderation policy yourself.
Where this fits into legitimate paid work
For freelancers, the more realistic opportunity is not “AI writes the content” but helping clients adopt these tools properly. Many small businesses will hear that WordPress “has AI now” without knowing how to configure it, what it will cost, or what the risks are. Services a WordPress freelancer or virtual assistant could reasonably offer include:
- Setting up connectors, Guidelines and Connector Approvals on a staging site, then moving the configuration to the live site.
- Reviewing and correcting AI-generated alt text across a media library.
- Estimating likely API costs by comparing the provider’s published rates against the client’s publishing volume.
- Writing a short AI usage policy covering review steps, data handling and disclosure.
How much this work pays depends on your skills, market and clients. Nothing in the plugin creates income automatically. If you are starting out, our guide to AI for freelancers covers the broader picture.
Limitations and responsible use
- Human review is essential. Generated titles, summaries and translations can be inaccurate or miss nuance. Check facts, names and figures before publishing.
- Data protection. Text you send to an AI provider leaves your server. If you work with personal data, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office has guidance on AI and data protection.
- Transparency. Think about when to tell readers or clients that AI helped. Our article on AI ethics in content creation discusses this in more depth.
- Change is constant. The plugin is experimental, and the developers list features such as a Content Assistant, Site Agent and Workflow Automation as “coming soon”. Plan around what exists today, not what is promised.
Conclusion
The official WordPress AI plugin, together with the AI Client and Connectors screen in WordPress 7.0, gives site owners a cleaner and more controllable way to use AI than a patchwork of separate plugins. The plugin is free, the AI usage behind it usually is not, and it is still experimental. Start on a staging site, enable a few time-saving features such as alt text and excerpts, protect your API keys, and keep a human in charge of everything that gets published.
Featured image: AI-generated illustration, for illustrative purposes only.
