Q: You’ve said that whatever WordPress decides to do with AI will have a societal impact. What makes this moment so pivotal for both the platform and the public?
Mary Hubbard: AI is central to everything we’re working on right now. What we decide to do with it won’t just shape WordPress, it will influence how people interact with the web more broadly. This is a rare moment: AI is evolving fast, but the future is still unwritten. People are experimenting, adjusting, and figuring it out as they go. That creates a small window where we can help set the direction, not just follow it. Most companies are reacting. We’re focused on leading.
Q: You mentioned that prompting is becoming one of the most essential skills of our time. How do you see generational differences shaping the way people interact with AI today?
Mary Hubbard: Each generation approaches AI differently. Boomers tend to use it like a search engine, asking straightforward questions. Millennials get more interactive, trying to shape responses. Gen Z, though, treats it like a companion, they’re having conversations with it.
Prompting is now a core digital skill. When people ask me how to use AI effectively, I always say: don’t fear it, learn to prompt. AI is going to be your assistant for life. Knowing how to work with it will define how well you navigate the digital world.
Q: As someone involved in shaping WordPress’s AI team, how are you thinking about open-source values in a space increasingly defined by proprietary models?
Mary Hubbard: WordPress has always prioritized user control, and that’s especially important in AI. We launched the WordPress AI team in the community because we believe AI should be open and accessible, not locked behind closed systems.
A lot of big players call themselves “open,” but only to a point. True open source means users own their data and aren’t locked into proprietary tools. We treat AI like a canonical plugin: it should be maintained, flexible, and shaped by the community. That’s how we stay aligned with WordPress’s mission, democratizing access and ownership on the web.
Q: You’ve drawn parallels between today’s web landscape and the early eBay era. What do you think people are overlooking about digital ownership and control right now?
Mary Hubbard: People tend to forget that platforms and search engines are gatekeepers, they decide what gets seen and when. If you don’t control your own site, you’re relying on someone else’s algorithm to reach your audience.
It reminds me of eBay in its growth stage. Sellers built their businesses there because the platform dominated search, but as the market evolved, they realized they needed their own websites to grow and stay competitive. We’re at that same crossroads again. Everyone’s chasing visibility, but lasting value comes from ownership. The real winners will be the platforms that give people full control over their digital presence.
Q: You talked about the concept of a “bridge model” between the present and the future of the web. Can you walk us through what that bridge looks like, and who needs to be building it?
Mary Hubbard: We’re in a transitional phase, what I call a bridge model. Tools are changing, new products are popping up and disappearing, and no one has fully figured out how to integrate large language models (LLMs) into everyday workflows.
That’s where the bridge needs to be built: between today’s fragmented tools and tomorrow’s more seamless, AI-integrated web. Technologists should focus on that infrastructure. Futurists should guide the direction. But right now, too many companies are copying each other, racing to the same midpoint. We need vision, not repetition.
Q: With AI changing how content is created, consumed, and monetized, what do you think individuals and businesses need to understand about their role in this new digital ecosystem?
Mary Hubbard: It absolutely matters how your content is being used by AI. People talk about blocking scraping, but what if scraping could actually generate revenue? Imagine a model where, instead of blocking LLMs, you allow them and get paid per interaction. Suddenly, your content becomes part of a value exchange. That changes the game—not just for creators, but for how we think about the economics of the open web.
Toggling LLMs to prevent scraping isn’t the end goal; it’s the starting point. From there, new monetization tools could emerge. If platforms begin returning a percentage of value to the user, scraping shifts from threat to opportunity. You might say, “Oh, you scraped my content—well, I get a half cent back.” That opens the door to a new model of advertising and digital value exchange.
Q: How is WordPress adapting to support non-technical users in this rapidly evolving tech environment, and what role does AI play in that accessibility?
Mary Hubbard: We’re making it faster and easier for anyone to get started. You can launch a site in minutes using AI-assisted themes. We’re also exploring AI-powered onboarding tools, things like bots that help users train, debug, and build.
Because WordPress is open and decentralized, collaboration happens naturally, whether it’s with our community or with partners like Google, 10up, and Automattic. The goal isn’t to reinvent the wheel, it’s to make the experience smoother, faster, and more supportive for everyone.
Q: From AI-assisted themes to training programs for the next generation, WordPress seems to be planting seeds for the long term. What’s driving these initiatives, and what do you hope they’ll grow into?
Mary Hubbard: This is one of those once-in-a-generation inflection points. In just six months, we’ve launched initiatives that show WordPress is not only evolving, we’re actively shaping the future.
A big part of that is bringing in younger generations. We expanded WordPress Campus Connect, or WPCC for short, which introduces students to the platform in schools and universities. We also just piloted WordPress Credits, where contribution hours can count toward a degree.
We’re not just building new tools, we’re building a stronger, more inclusive foundation. That’s how we make WordPress resilient for what’s next.
Follow Mary’s Journey
Who Is Mary Hubbard?
Mary is the Executive Director of WordPress, the open-source software platform maintained and supported by thousands of independent contributors worldwide. With 20 years of industry experience, Mary specializes in product development, program management, and organizational efficiency. Prior to joining WordPress, she held senior leadership roles at global tech companies including TikTok, eBay, Walmart, Assurant, and TruRating.
A published author featured on platforms like Entrepreneur.com, Mary writes extensively about leadership, transparency, and team empowerment. She is deeply committed to open source, advocating for its sustainability and integrity for future generations of creators.
