Yesterday my cousin told me he had finished a website for Legal Metrology in under 3 hours. A second legal website took him less than a day. He was thrilled, and the part that stuck with me was that the images and the content were also made by AI.
Here’s the twist. I built the first versions of both of those websites almost a year ago, using WordPress. It took me 1-2 weeks to finish both.
Last week I decided to build my career around WordPress plugins, WooCommerce extensions, Shopify apps, and other marketplace products. Then yesterday happened, and I felt grounded in the worst way. If a site can go from idea to live in an afternoon, what does that mean for someone who just committed to this industry?
What I’m taking from this
I won’t pretend it didn’t shake me. A task that took me two weeks now takes hours, and the gap between “I need a website” and “I have a website” is closing fast. Anyone building in this space has to reckon with that.
But the more I think about it, the more I see a shift rather than an ending. Websites are getting faster to make, which means more websites, more store owners, and more people who need functionality that off-the-shelf tools don’t give them. Plugins, extensions, and marketplace apps are what turn a basic site into a working business. That layer isn’t going away, but the way we build it will change.
So, is WordPress coming up with its own AI version?
My answer is yes. WordPress powers a huge share of the web, and it can’t sit still while AI-first builders eat into its audience. I expect AI to become a native part of how WordPress sites are designed, written, and managed.
And if that doesn’t happen, then I’ll be the key factor behind it.
I mean that. If the platform I’ve chosen needs people who understand both its ecosystem and where AI is taking it, I’d rather be one of the people building that future than someone watching it happen.
Where I stand now
My plan hasn’t changed, but my approach has. I’m going to learn AI tools properly, use them to build faster, and focus on creating plugins and apps that solve real problems, the kind a prompt alone can’t replace.
The industry is changing, and I’m choosing to change with it.
If you’re also building on WordPress, Woo, or Shopify, I’d love to hear how you’re thinking about AI. Drop a comment below.