Gutenberg 22.7 Update: AI Integration and Content Guidelines Take Center Stage
The latest Gutenberg 22.7 update for WordPress introduces significant advancements in AI integration and content management, alongside refinements to existing features. This release focuses on providing users with greater control over AI interactions and establishing a robust framework for maintaining consistent content standards.
Preview Style Variation Transforms in the Editor
Core blocks, including Heading, Image, Paragraph, and Button, now feature built-in style variations with a live preview. This allows users to visualize the impact of style changes before applying them, streamlining the editing process and enhancing design control. According to the official announcement, style variations are also now available for patterns in content-only mode.
New Connectors Admin Page for AI Key Management
WordPress has added a new “Connectors” admin page (Settings > Connectors) to centralize the management of AI keys and credentials. This feature enables users to easily view and manage their AI connections. Extension hooks have been provided for plugins to integrate their own connectors. It’s important to note that these screens are currently experimental.
Gutenberg Content Guidelines: A Cornerstone for AI and Brand Consistency
A key addition in Gutenberg 22.7 is the Content Guidelines feature, described as a “cornerstone feature to steer AI and how it interacts with your site.” Although not exclusively an AI-driven feature, it plays a crucial role in ensuring AI-generated content aligns with established brand standards and guidelines.
The update introduces a new experimental REST API and a custom post type, allowing WordPress site owners to define and manage site-wide content rules. Specific additions include block guidelines management, UX improvements for site, copy, image, and additional guidelines, and actions for importing, exporting, and revising guidelines.
The official proposal for Content Guidelines, authored by James LePage, a co-lead of the official WordPress AI team, emphasizes the necessitate for a unified store of content standards. This aims to provide:
- A single source of truth for content standards.
- Consistency across authors and tools.
- More steerable AI behavior.
- Guardrails for agents.
- A shared, portable foundation across the ecosystem.
With import and export capabilities, guidelines can be easily transferred between sites, reused across environments, or serve as a starting point for new projects.
Other Updates
Real-Time Collaboration is now enabled by default in Gutenberg 22.7, aligning with the behavior of WordPress 7.0, while still respecting user preferences. The update also includes numerous fixes and enhancements to improve overall performance and stability.
You can read more about the update here.