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Hi, {{first_name|friend}}. 👋
Welcome to Issue #208 of Loop WP!
Last week, we took a look at WooCommerce Bulk Editing, WooCommerce Piñatas, WooCommerce vs Shopify, Plugin Jam, a Security question, and an incredibly fun Wapuu Studio!
This week, it’s about a controversy surrounding the WordPress AI connectors, and we aren’t just talking about API keys.
Let’s go! 👇
2026 State of AEO Report
A year ago, most marketers weren't thinking about AI search. Now it's one of the fastest moving channels in the industry and nobody has a playbook yet.
So we built one. We surveyed hundreds of marketers to find out how they're approaching answer engine optimization, where they're investing, what's actually working, and what isn't.
The result is the 2026 State of AEO Report. Real data. Real strategies. A clear picture of where AI search is headed and how to get ahead of it.
WordPress 7.0 recommends AI Engine or “Does It”?
So this week I was very confused. I have updated some, but not all, of my personal websites and client websites to WordPress 7.0.
For those I did update, my very first experience with the connector settings was peculiar. I wondered why WordPress seemed to recommend the AI Engine plugin (it wasn’t).
🚨 The thing is, this plugin is recommending itself. WordPress isn't recommending it, which is confusing, especially because underneath (the purple box) is WordPress’ own plugin.
🤔 Whenever I checked some of my client websites that do not have a specific plugin or plugins installed by a specific author, they did not show the same notifications.
Over time, it became very clear that WordPress was not recommending this plugin.
Similarly, another site I have hosted on SiteGround also showed a different notification in the connectors area.
Although SiteGround handled their notifications significantly better than this other plugin author's notification, these notifications have led to some strong thoughts within the community.
Felix Arntz even called the behaviour by the AI Engine plugin “super shady” and “definitely not part of core”.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this {{first_name|friend}}.
API Keys, WordPress, and AI
🚨 There have been some discussions on Twitter (X) about how WordPress stores API keys, prompted by the introduction of the API connectors for AI in WordPress 7.0.
🤔 Some think it’s a fuss over nothing, and others think it’s an issue that needs solving, but who solves it is up for debate.
🎉 Mark Westguard of WS Form has created an excellent article on “Safely Using AI API Keys in WordPress Connectors“.
However, another related issue is that, with the current connector implementation in WordPress 7.0, you don’t know how any plugin/integration might use it, and there are not only the security concerns outlined, but also token/billing usage concerns.
🚨 🚨 As Russell Aaron (and others) have said, there is no clear notice on the AI connectors page that you should be aware of potential usage and cost issues:
You are not connecting your Claude Pro/Max account to WordPress 7.0’s new AI Connectors screen.
The Anthropic API key is not linked to your Claude[dot]ai subscription.
Claude Pro/Max and the Anthropic API are two separate products with two separate billing systems.
The Anthropic API is pay-per-token and billed to the credit card on file for your Anthropic Console account.
WordPress 7.0 may make it easier to generate an unexpected Anthropic API bill.
The new AI Connectors screen lets you add one API key that multiple AI features across your site can use.
Any plugin that hooks into the WP AI Client may be able to send requests through your API key.
You may not receive a notification when API usage happens.
You may not see a running total of Anthropic API costs inside WordPress.
You may only notice the usage when the bill arrives.
The key connects to your Anthropic API account, not your Claude subscription.
Monitoring API costs through AI Engine appears to require a paid plan rather than the free plugin.
WordPress 7.0 has centralised AI access, but it has not solved the problem of site owners being exposed to unpredictable AI usage costs.
The Make WordPress docs may say data is not sent to AI providers automatically, but plugins can still trigger usage once installed and configured.
Set a spending limit in your Anthropic Console before adding an API key to the WordPress AI Connectors screen.
🎉 Amy Kamala has created a WordPress Trac ticket (65340) for the issue, called: “Inform end users about the costs of using AI API connectors.”
I would love to hear your thoughts on this {{first_name|friend}}.
Before You Go
A couple of highlights from myself and Melapress.
First from me! If you missed me on the Do The Woo Podcast last week, discussing “Why Most WooCommerce Stores Under-Use Email – and What to Fix First“, then you can catch the recording. 👇
🚨 Melapress have released its annual Security Survey for 2026.
If you have a few minutes, please take some time to fill it in and help the community.
💡 You can also view last year’s incredibly detailed results.
That’s it for this week, {{first_name|friend}}. 👋
Sponsorship Opportunities
🚨 The Google Doc contains all the details if you’re interested in sponsoring the Loop WP Newsletter.
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Weekly WordPress News & Tips
This week's excellent and insightful WordPress News & Tips:
New Product Feed Feature - Google Merchant Center Conversational Attributes For AI-Driven Surfaces. (Search Engine Roundtable)
Ecommerce AI Search Trends & Wins - How to optimize the evidence-to-click layer across AI Search. (Aleyda Solis)
Breaking Open - Reimagining catalog management. (Woo Dev Blog)
Tackling Commerce Emails - An easier way to understand transactional emails in WooCommerce. (Job Thomas)
Open Source First is right - But not enough. (Joost de Valk)
Here’s Why - WooCommerce[dot]com is now running on nightly WC Core. (Woo Dev Blog)
Running WooCommerce is Not Free - How Much Does a WooCommerce Store Cost in 2026? (Maarten Belmans)
Claude Code - Create an Astro site on WordPress in 12 minutes. (Justin Nealy)
A Strategic Mistake - One website, one CMS. (Jono Alderson)
WooCommerce 10.8.0 - Release Notes. (Woo Dev Blog)
If you have a question about this email or WordPress, please reply, and I will respond as soon as possible.
👋 Until next time,
