WordPress 6.9 released: More collaboration and AI foundations

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The content management system WordPress has been released in version 6.9. The update, codenamed "Gene" in homage to the American jazz pianist Gene Harris, focuses on new collaboration features, includes new blocks, and is intended to enable significantly faster loading times. Furthermore, foundations for AI integration have been laid.

The second and final major update of 2025 allows notes to be pinned to blocks. This is intended to significantly simplify collaborative work on content. Users can thus leave comments and feedback directly on the parts of a page being addressed. The new feature is expected to significantly reduce the need for external communication tools and feedback systems.

New blocks available

Another new feature is that blocks can be hidden with a single click but remain visible in the editor. This way, they can be easily activated, for example, for seasonal content or for the step-by-step development of a page.

With WordPress 6.9, blocks offer new design possibilities thanks to additions. The Accordion block enables expandable content with individual styling, while the Math block displays mathematical formulas in MathML and LaTeX.

Interesting from a typographic perspective: The new "Fit Text" function in Paragraph and Heading blocks automatically adjusts the font size to the container size – the need to create custom style sheets (Custom CSS) for this should be eliminated.

WordPress should be faster

With the update, WordPress is also expected to become significantly faster: Block styles in Classic Themes and minified styles in Block Themes will be loaded on demand. Non-critical scripts, such as those for interactive blocks or emoji recognition, will be deferred. In addition, there are optimized database queries, improved caching, and a new Template Enhancement Output Buffer.

To make WordPress ready for AI use, the Abilities API developer interface has been introduced. This provides a standardized, machine-readable system with which core functions, plugins, and themes can register their functionalities. The API is part of the "AI Building Blocks for WordPress" initiative and is intended to enable AI assistants and automation platforms to understand and execute WordPress functions in the future.

Over 440 improvements

Other interesting news includes beta support for PHP 8.5 and preparation for iframe integration in the post editor. The wp_mail() function now supports inline images in HTML emails and has become more robust against header injection attacks.

Over 900 people from all over the world contributed to WordPress 6.9 (Release Notes).

(mki)