WordPress.com owner Automattic has launched a new writing assistant. Known as Write Brief with AI, the AI assistant function is meant to automate the tedious process of editing and improving website copy for individuals and SMBs. It joins an AI writing tool the company has already launched.
Specifically, it launched a gen AI function last year that lets users get started on website copy by using text prompts to generate content and tone. Think of it as a sort of writer’s block killer. This week’s update is more about editing and improving that copy… or any existing copy a given website may have.
Before proceeding, some definitions are in order. Automattic sits at the center of the WordPress universe. As an open platform, WordPress.org has no owner, but Automattic runs WordPress.com, which is the biggest onboarding source and provider for WordPress website creation and hosting.
Meanwhile, the broader WordPress platform (WordPress.org) is the most prevalent publishing software on the web, claiming 30 percent of all websites. At its core is a simple website builder and publishing tool, but it’s massively expandable as a content management system with tens of thousands of plugins.
One-Two Punch
Back to Automattic’s latest, Write Brief with AI augments some of the AI writing tools the company has already launched, as noted. Its previous AI tools were more about helping individuals and SMBs get started while the latest tool improves the writing as they go. Altogether, it’s a nice one-two punch.
In terms of workflow, the tool can be found in WordPress post and page edit windows on the right rail, so it’s easily accessible. Once users activate it, the copy on a given page lights up with color-coded suggestions. Mousing over or right-clicking them will suggest edits that users can apply or dismiss.
These edits importantly go beyond copy editing and spelling. Specifically, it gives writers “readability scores” across three metrics – complexity, sentence length, and confidence. Confidence, for example, tracks whether or not a user is writing in a passive voice or other habits that soften the copy’s impact.
This makes Write Brief with AI similar to Grammarly. For anyone who uses Grammarly (via app or browser extension), it achieves similar functions – right down to the color-coded markings and suggestions. So one question is if Automattic will displace third-party web-based tools used to edit WordPress sites.
Inside Track
Giving it an inside track, Write Brief with AI is accessible through Jetpack – an Automattic-owned plugin that’s infused with a large portion of WordPress sites. In fact, Jetpack is bundled with all websites obtained through WordPress.com, while it’s available as a free plugin for any other WordPress site.
This embedded positioning should give the new AI tool ample exposure. Not only is it available now to all those WordPress.com sites, but it’s relatively prominent on the page edit window, as noted. This won’t guarantee the feature’s success (it has to work), but ensures that it at least has the chance to shine.
Meanwhile, the feature carries some success factors for SMB-focused AI. As we’ve examined, SMBs don’t care about the tech and how trendy it is… but rather anything that can save time and eliminate pain points. Writing website copy or email marketing are the types of things that are high on that list.
So AI writing assistants or marketing co-pilots tend to resonate with SMBs. That makes this a smart and logical move from Automattic, and one that joins a growing list of SMB-facing tech tools. Others so far include Microsoft (Office Suite), Meta (ads) Google (SEO), and Web.com (web copy). Expect more.
