WordPress has published new guidelines for using AI in coding plugins, themes, documentation, and media assets. These guidelines, based on five key principles, aim to ensure that WordPress contributions remain transparent, GPL-compatible, and human-accountable, while upholding high-quality standards for AI-assisted work. The guidelines outline five main principles: 1. You are responsible for your contributions—AI can assist, but it is not considered a contributor. 2. Disclose any meaningful AI assistance in your pull request (PR) description and/or Trac ticket comment. 3. License compatibility matters: all contributions, including AI-generated content, must comply with GPLv2-or-later. 4.

Non-code assets such as documentation, screenshots, images, and educational materials are included. 5. Prioritize quality over quantity—avoid low-value, unverified “AI slop”; reviewers may close or reject submissions that do not meet quality standards. Transparency These transparency guidelines encourage contributors to clearly disclose when and how AI was used, helping reviewers make informed evaluations of the work. License Compatibility and Tool Choice Licensing is critical for WordPress, which is a fully open source platform under the GPLv2 framework. All WordPress-related creations, including plugins and themes, must be open source. Accordingly, the guidelines specify that AI-generated output cannot be used if it is not licensable under GPLv2. They also emphasize: - Avoid tools whose terms prohibit using their output in GPL-licensed projects or add restrictions on redistribution. - Do not use tools to “launder” incompatible licenses; AI output containing non-free or incompatible code must not be included. Addressing AI Slop The guidelines tackle the issue of AI slop, which refers to hallucinated elements like fake links or APIs, unnecessarily complicated code where simpler alternatives exist, and generic GitHub PRs that lack evidence of testing or practical experience. Recommendations to contributors include: - Use AI to draft content but review it thoroughly yourself. - Submit small, concise PRs (or patches) with clear, atomic commit messages to facilitate review. - Conduct and document actual testing. - Provide links to verified Trac tickets, GitHub issues, or documentation. WordPress maintainers responsible for reviewing and overseeing contributions may close or reject submissions they consider to be AI slop that adds minimal human insight. Key Takeaways The new WordPress AI guidelines focus on maintaining trust in the contribution process as AI use grows in development, documentation, and media creation. They do not discourage AI use but promote responsible implementation. By requiring disclosure, enforcing GPL compatibility, and empowering maintainers to reject low-quality contributions, the guidelines protect the legal integrity of WordPress and respect the time of its reviewers. Featured Image by Shutterstock/Ivan Moreno