Hosted by Birgit Pauli-Haack, with special guest Anne McCarthy, this episode dives into recent happenings in the WordPress ecosystem, including updates from WordCamp Europe, the launch of the new WordPress AI Team, the Pride Photo Drive initiative, and the latest Gutenberg releases (20.9 and 21.0).
WordCamp Europe Recap
The community celebrated new milestones, including all workshops being recorded and promptly published to WordPress TV, making it easier for everyone to catch up. Notable sessions covered digital freedom, block development, and innovative ways to extend WordPress without custom blocks. There was also a special mention of the WordPress Campus Connect pilot at the University of Pisa, enabling students to earn credits through WordPress contributions.
WordPress AI Team Launch
WordPress has officially formed a core AI Team, supported by both Automattic and Google contributors, focusing on foundational tools and integrations to bring AI capabilities to the platform. The team is working on projects like the AI Services plugin, the Model Context Protocol (MCP), and the WP Feature API, each designed to provide standardized and extensible AI solutions for the WordPress ecosystem.
Pride Photo Drive
Anne McCarthy introduced the Pride Photo Drive: an open photo submission event to boost LGBTQ+ representation in the WordPress Photo Directory. The initiative encourages everyone (not just the LGBTQ+ community) to contribute, with fun incentives and cash prizes, emphasizing the importance of diverse, high-quality imagery for web creators.
Gutenberg 20.9 & 21.0 Releases
The latest Gutenberg plugin releases bring a host of improvements and enhancements:
- A shift towards more modern and maintainable codebase (SASS modules),
- Usability changes to block settings and tool panels,
- Continued iteration on “content-only” editing for simpler, safer user experiences,
- Accessibility improvements and bug fixes suggested by new and long-time contributors,
- Ongoing expansion of the Interactivity API for richer client-side experiences.
Community & Contribution
Anne and Birgit emphasize the power of direct community feedback—how user suggestions shape features and workflows. There’s an open call for more engagement, hallway hangouts, and broad collaboration beyond just in-person events.
This episode is packed with optimism and opportunities for WordPress users and contributors of all backgrounds to get involved—whether that’s through new tech like AI, creative community projects, or by shaping the future of Gutenberg.
- Editor: Sandy Reed
- Logo: Mark Uraine
- Production: Birgit Pauli-Haack
Show Notes
Special Guest: Anne McCarthy
- WordPress profile
- Personal Blog: Nomad.blog
- Gutenberg Changelog #111 – Gutenberg 19.6 and 19.7, Developer Hours, Playground, and Collaborative Editing
- Gutenberg Changelog #87 – Patterns, Gutenberg 16.3 and WordPress 6.3.
Celebrating Pride Month
- Share your Pride Photo Drive is back for 2025
- WordPress photo directory ShareYourPride 2024
WordPress AI Team
- Announcing the Formation of the WordPress AI Team
- Welcome to the Core AI Team Blog
- Introducing the AI Team – Hallway Hangout Recap
- AI Services
- MCP for WordPress
- Enabling AI-Powered WordPress Development with WP-CLI and the Model Context Protocol (MCP)
- WP Feature API
- The WordPress AI fightback begins!
WordCamp Europe Recordings
- During Fire side Chat with Mary Hubbard and Matt Mullenweg
- WordPress without Borders – The Fight for Digital Freedom
- The Block Developer Cookbook: WCEU 2025 Edition
- WordPress Gems around the Interactivity API.
- Why Block Themes Make WooCommerce Stores Better
- Do you really need a custom block
- All recordings from WordCamp Europe on WordPressTV
Gutenberg Releases
- What’s New for Developers (June 2025)
- What’s new in Gutenberg 20.8 and 20.9?
- What’s new in Gutenberg 21.0?
- Interactivity API: Backport of WooCommerce’s Interactivity API improvements #70372
Stay in Touch
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- Ping us on X (formerly known as Twitter) or send DMs with questions. @gutenbergtimes and @bph.
- If you have questions or suggestions, or news you want us to include, send them to changelog@gutenbergtimes.com.
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Transcript
The transcript is in the works.
The post Gutenberg Times: Gutenberg Changelog 118 – WordCamp Europe, WordPress New AI Team, the Pride Photo Drive, Gutenberg 20.9 and 21.0 appeared first on MCNM Digital Media Marketing.
