WordPress Gets a Built-In AI Assistant That Can Redesign Your Entire Site

WordPress AI assistant interface showing natural language website design commands

WordPress.com just made its boldest move into artificial intelligence yet. Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, has launched a built-in AI assistant that lets users redesign their websites using plain English commands. No coding required, no plugins needed — it's baked right into the platform.

Natural Language Meets Web Design

The new AI assistant works directly within WordPress's block editor, allowing users to adjust layouts, change styles, swap patterns, and restructure entire pages simply by describing what they want. Think of it as having a web designer on call 24/7 who actually listens to your vague instructions and makes them work.

Want to change your homepage hero section to something more minimal? Just tell the AI. Need your blog layout switched from grid to list? Type it out. The assistant interprets natural language commands and applies changes in real time, making website management dramatically more accessible for non-technical users.

More Than Just Layout Changes

The AI assistant goes beyond simple design tweaks. It functions as a full editorial partner that can:

  • Rewrite content — update bios, product descriptions, and page copy
  • Suggest headlines — generate SEO-friendly title options
  • Translate sections — convert content between languages
  • Check grammar and facts — catch errors before they go live
  • Generate images — create visuals using Google Gemini's Nano Banana AI models directly from the Media Library

How to Access It

The AI assistant is available in WordPress 6.9 through the block notes editor. Users can invoke it by simply typing @ai followed by their request. There's also a new "Generate Image" button in the Media Library for AI-powered image creation.

It's an opt-in feature — head to Settings → AI tools → Enable AI assistant to activate it. This approach gives users full control over whether they want AI involved in their workflow.

Block Themes Only (For Now)

One important caveat: the AI assistant currently works only with block themes, not classic WordPress themes. If you're still running a classic theme, you'll need to make the switch to take advantage of these features. Given that WordPress has been pushing block themes as the future of the platform, this limitation is likely temporary motivation to modernize.

The Bottom Line

WordPress powering over 40% of the web means this AI assistant could become the most widely used AI design tool overnight. For small business owners and bloggers who can't afford a web developer, this is a genuine game-changer. The question isn't whether AI belongs in website building — it's why it took this long to get here.