WordPress’s experimental AI development tool, Telex, has successfully transitioned from a conceptual prototype to a functional real-world utility just months after its September debut. During the annual “State of the Word” event in San Francisco on Tuesday, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg demonstrated how the software is already being used to streamline complex web development tasks. Described as a “vibe-coding” tool specifically for the platform, Telex allows users to generate Gutenberg blocks—the modular components of a WordPress site—using natural language prompts.
Although the software remains labeled as an experiment, Mullenweg highlighted several practical applications developed by community creator Nick Hamze, according to TechCrunch. Demonstrations included the rapid creation of interactive price comparison tools, custom calculators, and a header block featuring real-time business hours, phone numbers, and map directions. Other use cases involved generating partner logo carousels, Google Calendar integrations, and post grids with standardized card heights. Mullenweg emphasized the economic shift driven by such tools, noting that functionality that previously cost tens of thousands of dollars and required professional developers can now be built in a browser for pennies.
The tool’s potential to democratize development was further illustrated by Hamze, a self-described non-developer, who stated that the ability to simply describe a desired outcome and have Telex build it provides an “intoxicating” level of freedom. This sentiment was echoed by creator Tammie Lister, who utilized Telex to build a new Gutenberg block every day throughout October, ranging from a Halloween-themed trick-or-treat block to a playable ASCII version of Tetris.
Beyond the Telex demonstrations, the event outlined WordPress’s broader AI architecture, specifically the introduction of the Abilities API and an MCP (Model Context Protocol) adapter. The Abilities API defines WordPress capabilities in a format AI systems can interpret, while the adapter allows the platform to integrate seamlessly with external AI tools like Claude and Copilot without requiring unique logic for every platform. Looking ahead, Mullenweg announced that by 2026, the company plans to introduce benchmarks to evaluate how effectively AI models can perform specific WordPress maintenance tasks, such as plugin management and interface manipulation.
