In his keynote address, WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg unveiled Telex. He took to the stage to demonstrate how this powerful new tool can make developing custom Gutenberg blocks easier than ever. This experimental AI development tool is intended to help democratize publishing. It democratizes publishing by being available in all languages, at no cost, and as an open-source tool. Mullenweg pointed to his ownership of Telex and its innovative features. That dovetails beautifully with WordPress’s own mission to democratize web development.
In his keynote, Mullenweg showed off how Telex works, letting users build highly specialized Gutenberg blocks like never before with complete ease. While this tool is a huge leap in the direction of inclusivity for the WordPress development ecosystem, it is by no means the final destination. He stated, “When we think about democratized publishing, embedded in that is very core to WordPress’ mission… made it accessible in a radically open way” – Matt Mullenweg.
Aside from the technical advancements, Mullenweg discussed ongoing tensions with WP Engine, a hosting provider that has faced criticism from him. He argues that the company is making lots of money off of WordPress contributions while not contributing enough back to the community. Mullenweg expressed his deep concern and desire for WP Engine to eventually license the WordPress trademark. He thinks that the way they use it now misleads consumers into thinking it’s not related to the company.
Mullenweg gave a short report on the legal issues involved in this ongoing dramatic clash. He noted, “The quick update is, it’s working its way through the legal system. We trust in the fairness of the courts” – Matt Mullenweg. He added, “If there’s any commentary, I’ll just say that there was a settlement conference, I showed up. The other CEO did not.” This characterization highlights both the fact that these negotiations are taking place in real time and the difficulty of these negotiations.
Mullenweg went on to discuss Telex and the current legal predicament. He featured a much more rudimentary AI tool he created in just a few hours during Contributor Day. The WPHub Smart Assistant is a new tool that provides contextualized WordPress help right in your browser. One practical use case already demonstrates how a developer used Mullenweg’s AI tech to create a simple marketing animation.
Telex heralds a new era for WordPress. To that end, the project intends to make user experience leaps and enhance the overall functionality of the tool. Mullenweg highlighted the underlying philosophy driving these developments: “At the core of it, there is a seed of something, which is so enabling” – Matt Mullenweg.