WordPress gets smarter: AI, Automattic, and the rise of the Model Context Protocol

The world of WordPress is changing fast, and this time it’s not a new editor or caching trick. It’s AI.
Automattic, the force behind much of WordPress’s evolution, has started laying down real infrastructure for AI integration and the implications are huge: for developers, content teams, and agencies alike.

A New Frontier: Automattic’s AI Team

In May 2025, Automattic announced the formation of a dedicated AI team to explore how generative AI, large language models (LLMs), and intelligent automation can be used across the WordPress ecosystem. But this isn’t about adding “AI magic” into posts and calling it a day, it’s a methodical integration of intelligent systems into core tooling, with a strong focus on open standards.

The Model Context Protocol (MCP): An Emerging Standard

At the heart of this shift is the Model Context Protocol (MCP). An open standard that’s quickly becoming the industry’s go-to for integrating LLMs and related tools into structured workflows. MCP defines how prompts, model requests, metadata, responses, and context are exchanged between systems. Instead of shoving raw text into a model and hoping for the best, MCP brings structure, consistency, and transparency to AI-powered interactions. It’s designed with traceability in mind — every request and response can be versioned, audited, and understood.

Automattic’s Implementation

Automattic has already rolled out two foundational projects to get the ball rolling:

• wordpress-mcp: A plugin that enables WordPress to talk MCP natively. It acts as the bridge between your content workflows and AI systems.
• mcp-wordpress-remote: A supporting service that facilitates secure remote model execution for sites that don’t want to host LLMs locally.

We tested this stack, and below you can see a screenshot of our setup where AI helps draft content directly inside the block editor. The experience is fluid and surprisingly powerful: you can spin up outlines, generate marketing copy, or even translate content inline, without leaving the editor interface.

Looking ahead, these projects are expected to become part of WordPress core, bringing native AI capabilities to millions of sites out of the box.

Responsible AI in Regulated Environments

For clients operating in regulated industries — finance, legal, healthcare, education — we don’t just wire AI into WordPress and hope for the best. At Copia Digital, we implement the MCP framework with built-in guardrails, including:

• Audit trails for every AI interaction (prompt, parameters, model, response)
• Human-in-the-loop publishing workflows, where AI-generated content is staged and approved before going live
• Data handling policies to prevent unintended leakage of sensitive or regulated information
• Version control on AI-generated drafts, so you always know what was suggested and what was approved

These aren’t “nice to haves”, they’re essential when deploying AI responsibly in public-facing publishing systems.

Why This Matters

The combination of Automattic’s open-source AI tooling and the MCP standard gives developers a serious foundation to build with. You’re no longer duct-taping together APIs — you’re working with an ecosystem that’s designed for scale, traceability, and governance. And for agencies like Copia Digital, it means we can deliver AI solutions inside WordPress that respect our clients’ editorial processes, compliance needs, and risk frameworks.

Final Thought

AI is no longer a side experiment — it’s becoming part of the WordPress core ecosystem. Automattic’s adoption of MCP signals a shift toward structured, responsible AI integration, and at Copia Digital, we’re leaning in with real-world deployments that balance innovation with accountability.

If you’re curious about what this could look like for your WordPress project — whether it’s internal tooling, content workflows, or something completely bespoke — we’re happy to show you around.

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