Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Locate and install the AI plugin from the WordPress plugin directory
- Explain the relationship between the AI plugin, provider connectors, and the Connectors page
- Install a provider connector and configure it with your API credentials
- Identify which provider type (cloud or local) fits your site’s needs and technical setup
Before you begin
This lesson involves navigating your WordPress admin. You can follow along using WordPress Playground at https://playground.wordpress.net/, which provides a live WordPress environment in your browser with the AI plugin already installed.
💡 Why this matters for you:
WordPress Playground lets you explore the full installation and configuration flow without touching a live site. For steps that require a real API key (such as entering credentials), you will need to use your own WordPress site or a local development environment.
Installing the AI plugin
The AI plugin is a free plugin available from the WordPress plugin directory. It adds ready-made AI features to your site, including alt text generation, content summarization, title suggestions, and editorial tools.
To install it, go to Plugins > Add New Plugin in your WordPress admin. Search for “AI” and look for the plugin titled “AI” published by the WordPress.org team. Select Install Now, then Activate.
Once activated, the plugin adds two new items under the Settings menu: Connectors and AI. Connectors is where you configure your AI provider. AI is where you control which features are active on your site.
Understanding the connection between plugins, connectors, and providers
Before configuring anything, it helps to understand how these pieces fit together.
The AI plugin enables AI features on your site, but it does not know which AI provider to use until you tell it. That connection happens through the Connectors page.
The Connectors page (Settings > Connectors) is a central credential store built into WordPress core. You install a connector for your chosen provider, enter your API key, and save it once. Every plugin that uses the WordPress AI Client, including the AI plugin, draws from that stored connection automatically.
A connector is a small plugin that bridges WordPress and a specific provider’s API. Connectors for Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI are available directly from the Connectors page. If your preferred provider is not listed, you can search the WordPress plugin directory for a connector.
This separation is intentional. Your credentials are stored in one place, and switching providers later only requires updating the Connectors page, not reconfiguring every plugin individually.
Connecting a provider
Go to Settings > Connectors in your WordPress admin. You will see a list of available providers. Select Install next to the provider you want to use.
- Anthropic offers text generation via Claude. It requires an API key from https://console.anthropic.com/.
- Google offers text and image generation via Gemini and Imagen. It requires an API key from https://aistudio.google.com/.
- OpenAI offers text and image generation via GPT and DALL-E. It requires an API key from https://platform.openai.com/.
Once the connector plugin is installed, a configuration field appears on the Connectors page. Enter your API key and save. WordPress stores the key and makes it available to any plugin that uses the AI Client.
💡 Why this matters for you:
You only need one provider to get started. You can always add more connectors later if you want to use different providers for different features.
Enabling AI features
With a provider connected, go to Settings > AI to control which features are active on your site. This page is managed by the AI plugin and lets you turn individual capabilities on or off, including alt text generation, content summarization, title suggestions, and comment moderation.
Start with one or two features rather than enabling everything at once. This makes it easier to observe what each feature does and to troubleshoot if anything behaves unexpectedly.
Key terms
| Term | Definition |
| AI plugin | The separately installed WordPress plugin that adds ready-made AI features to your site |
| Connector | A small plugin that bridges WordPress and a specific AI provider’s API |
| Connectors page | The Settings > Connectors admin page where provider credentials are stored and shared across plugins |
| API key | A unique credential issued by an AI provider that authenticates your site’s requests to their service |
| Settings > AI | The admin page, added by the AI plugin, where you control which AI features are active on your site |
✅ Check your understanding
- In your own words, why does WordPress separate the Connectors page from the AI plugin’s settings page? What problem does that separation solve?
- Think about the WordPress site you manage or are most familiar with. Which AI provider type (cloud or local) would be a better fit, and what factors would influence that decision?