Michael Hanscom

Updated to Wordpress 7. On upgrading, was greeted with: "WordPress 7.0 introduces the foundation for AI across the platform, letting you connect your preferred provider and put it to work across your site."

I _really_ need to find time to figure out how to move to a static site generator.

(Narrator: He doesn't have the time, and will continue to choose the path of least resistance and stay on Wordpress while regularly complaining about it.)

#wordpress #ai #wordpress7

May 27 at 3:33pmWeb
Show threadShawn Hooper (he/him) 🇨🇦May 27
@djwudi The only thing I need to figure out what to do with is commenting on my blog posts. That's still something I'd like to maintain. But otherwise, I'd love to find a different solution.
Show threadKat the LeopardessMay 27

@shawnhooper @djwudi Unfortunately, I do have one website that is Wordpress.

Basically, you can edit your wp-config.php with
define( 'WP_AI_SUPPORT', false );

There is also a plugin for those not comfortable editing that file:
https://wordpress.org/plugins/turn-off-ai-features/

Longer explainer article:
https://mysites.guru/blog/disable-wordpress-ai-features-wp-ai-support/

That being said,....Im not happy with the onus-shifting opt-out logic. Wordpress has definitely enshittified (overall) and that includes this AI shit now becoming part of core. (We dont want it!)

Turn Off AI Features

Adds an option to the General Settings page to turn off AI features in WordPress.

WordPress.org
Show threadMichael HanscomMay 27
@shawnhooper I go back and forth on comments. I like having them open (for a few weeks, at least, before auto-closing)…but I'm also so low-traffic that they rarely get used, so I probably wouldn't really miss them if they disappeared.
Show threadShawn Hooper (he/him) 🇨🇦May 27

@djwudi Same, honestly. I rarely get comments. In fact, adding my site to the Fediverse increased that activity, which is nice.

But if we're being honest, I'm making this the hill I die on over maybe 10-15 comments a year.

Show threadAmber WeinbergMay 27
@djwudi You can disable it just like you can disable Gutenberg. Keep WP fast and lean ;)
Show threadMichael HanscomMay 27
@amber Every so often I get curious and set up a test blog to play with Gutenberg. That curiosity usually lasts about ten minutes at the most before I bail out again.
Show threadElena BrescacinMay 27
@djwudi I would really like to switch to a static generator. But at the moment (unfortunately) WP is the only one with accessibility in mind - the backend mostly usable by blind users- with screen readers and so on. I can do most activities through block editor, it's like working with Lego. And most static generators need a very good CSS skills and sighted people around me, aren't very skilled in CSS usage. Paradoxically I can write the code as it's text. The css I mean. But then I have no control on appearance.
Show threadMichael HanscomMay 27

@elettrona Unfortunately, that doesn't really surprise me. I'm fortunate enough to not need an accessible backend (…yet…), but do appreciate WP's ongoing work on both back- and front-end accessibility, especially when paired with a well coded theme.

Really, part of the friction in moving to a static site generator would be my goal of making sure the front end was accessible. I've experimented enough to get the backend running locally and I (more or less) understand the high-level process, but the nuts and bolts of making sure I had, found, or hacked together a theme that passed muster would, I suspect, be a very non-trivial exercise.

Show threadElena BrescacinMay 27
@djwudi Many folks are talking about empathy, solidarity, anti-AI ideology. Then, when I pose concrete problems (not always alternatives cover all needs) the tower falls down. Smashing.