{"slug": "siteground-s-icky-approach-to-ai-in-wordpress-7-0", "title": "SiteGround's Icky Approach to AI in WordPress 7.0", "summary": "SiteGround is automatically enabling its AI Studio as the default AI connector for all WordPress sites hosted on its platform when WordPress 7.0 launches, bypassing the standard user setup process. The web host informed customers via email that it will update sites to version 7.0 and activate its AI tools without requiring API keys or additional configuration. Critics argue the move forces an unwanted AI integration on users and creates a security risk by embedding API tokens in every WordPress site.", "body_md": "So I have a few sites with SiteGround. They’re largely sites that don’t get a huge amount of traffic (with the exception of [All Rumble Stats,](https://allrumblestats.com) which gets 20k a month). Hosting is a bit like your bank account or your broadband provider: they are there and as long as you don’t do much to annoy them, then you stick with them. Friction of moving is painful, so you want to avoid it. Nevertheless, they were a pretty good host a while back that didn’t seem to do anything egregious compared to other hosts, plus I’ve been to their EU offices, so I have recommended them in the past.\n\nThere have been a few things that have occurred in the past few years that is has me questioning continuing hosting with them. One was their speed optimiser plugin (which I think were great) deleted all WebP images, even those that *the plugin didn’t create*, and their support which is an AI Slopstacle Course at the moment.\n\nLast week though I think means I’ll be moving off their servers when I renew.\n\n## WordPress 7.0 and the AI Connector Module\n\n[WordPress 7.0 came out recently](https://dwinrhys.com/2026/05/21/wordpress-7-0-released-what-new-features-are-there/), and as part of that introduced the [AI Connector module](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2026/03/18/introducing-the-connectors-api-in-wordpress-7-0/), which whilst does nothing off the bat, allows you to store your chosen planet boiler key of choice within WordPress, allowing other plugins to use it for their means. It means you don’t have to add your API key to all plugins, instead just doing it once within the WordPress backend. Convenient.\n\nI’m not a *huge* fan of it for a number of reasons. Firstly, as raised by [Oliver Sild over on Twitter](https://x.com/OliverSild/status/2057534861292753135) (sorry) every WordPress site *could *have an API key embedded in it, allowing hackers access to API tokens to do nefarious things. It feels like at the very least there’s a massive target on every that is built on WordPress’ back.\n\nSiteGround crystalised the other reason. In that hosts will set this feature up for you, even if you don’t want them to.\n\nI got an email a few weeks back. I’ve copied it verbatim below:-\n\nHi Rhys,\n\nOne of the most significant WordPress releases in years is coming, anticipated on May 20, 2026. This new version will provide a standardized way to connect your WordPress site to AI providers providers (\n\n[learn more]), making it possible to integrate a whole new range of AI capabilities for managing and editing your website. Once it rolls out we’ll update your WordPress site automatically. On top of that, we’ll connect it with SiteGround AI Studio so that you can start using AI capabilities right out of the box.## Sites to be automatically updated to WordPress 7.0\n\nAs always, we’ll automatically update all WordPress installations on our platform to 7.0 based on your\n\n[WordPress autoupdate settings]. By default, we apply major updates with 24 hour’s notice, so no action is needed on your end. The update itself is just the beginning. We’ve also taken several steps to make sure that you can take advantage of the new AI capabilities without any additional configuration.## AI Studio with 20,000 free tokens to be enabled as your default AI connector\n\nWhen WordPress 7.0 lands, the standard process to start using AI capabilities will involve a few steps. First, connecting an AI provider of choice by installing a connector and providing an API key. Second, then installing the native\n\n[WordPress AI plugin]so AI capabilities appear in the WordPress core.SiteGround customers, however, skip all of that entirely. With the new WordPress version, you’ll get SiteGround AI Studio activated as your default AI connector, plus our powerful AI WordPress Agent enabled automatically. This allows you to immediately use AI power for managing your WordPress. No API keys, manual connections, or extra plugins needed. You’re ready to use AI-powered features right away, backed by 20,000 free tokens available to you every month through AI Studio.\n\n## Powerful AI Agent for WordPress management to be activated\n\nAs part of the WordPress 7.0 update, SiteGround’s AI Agent will appear directly in your WordPress admin ready to help with all sorts of tasks. The moment WordPress 7.0 is live on your site, you’ll have our robust AI chat assistant available directly from your admin dashboard.\n\nSiteGround’s AI Agent capabilities go far beyond the standard image and text generation many other AI plugins provide. It can handle real maintenance tasks: updating site settings and plugins, setting product discounts, editing descriptions, auditing and applying SEO changes, and more, all from a single prompt.\n\nNote: Please note that the custom AI Studio connection and the AI Agent activation will not be done as part of the WordPress update for those websites that have a white-label client added to them. If you want, you can activate\n\n[SiteGround AI agent yourself on such sites].Also good to know: You can also change your default AI connector or completely disable the AI Studio connector any time you want.\n\nCheers to the exciting new WordPress version,\n\nThe SiteGround Team\n\nI didn’t think much of it, but given it was sent midday on a Friday, I kind of skim read it and ignored it. Sure enough though after WordPress 7.0 launched on the 20th, with sites hosted on SiteGround, this appeared.\n\nNotice it’s location *right at the bottom*. Often plugins are guilty of fighting for the real estate at the top of the page. This? Already activated and hidden away. In a vain hope you don’t notice it.\n\nNot only it’s activated, but it’s connected to their AI agent.\n\nI’m an experienced user, and kind of go blind to the banners and things that appear in the back end of WordPress, but I wonder how quick I would burn through the 20,000 tokens every month? Would that change? Is this just an approach to get SiteGround users hooked onto an AI chatbot and then reduce the level of service? How much does it cost per month if you go over the 20,000 tokens?\n\nIt’s pumped their numbers which looks good for their board. [SiteGround AI Studio plugin has over 1+ million active installations when it’s launched late last month](https://wordpress.org/plugins/sg-ai-studio/), [and the graph of the installs look ridiculous](https://x.com/SteveJBurge/status/2059365179708653698?s=20). For a plugin to have over a million active installations within a month is unheard of. To put it in perspective – [Preload LCP Image](https://dwinrhys.com/preload-largest-contentful-paint-image-wordpress-plugin/) has been available for 3 years and has 4000+ active installations. But it has *pissed a lot of people off*. [The reviews are not good](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/sg-ai-studio/reviews/). There is damage control in effect, as on most reviews, a poor SiteGround rep is replying, touting the wonders of this plugin and very unpointed speak on taking feedback on board.\n\n## I’m not the product here\n\nThing is, **this is not a free service**. I pay over £500 every year to SiteGround to host my websites, and many of my clients pay as well. Things like **this should be an opt-in service**. If this was a free service, I’d grin and bare it – after all you are the product. But it’s not. In short, SiteGround has left and icky taste in a lot of folks mouths. Not everybody will leave, but many might.\n\nBut then, this is the modus operandi for the great AI rollout. Switch it on and hope people don’t notice or kick up a fuss. Enough people don’t mind it and a few people use it. Big numbers, 1+ million adoption, board is happy. It just feels icky and deceptive. I do wonder if AI adoption would be bigger overall if it wasn’t forced down our throats, and the benefits to society would be welcomed if they were argued or shown.\n\nBut then again, if AI operators have to go down this approach, is there any benefits to be had at all?", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/siteground-s-icky-approach-to-ai-in-wordpress-7-0", "canonical_source": "https://www.rhyswynne.co.uk/sitegrounds-icky-approach-to-ai-in-wordpress-7-0/", "published_at": "2026-05-29 17:31:55+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-05-29 17:47:21.464997+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-tools", "ai-products"], "entities": ["SiteGround", "WordPress", "All Rumble Stats", "AI Connector module"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/siteground-s-icky-approach-to-ai-in-wordpress-7-0", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/siteground-s-icky-approach-to-ai-in-wordpress-7-0.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/siteground-s-icky-approach-to-ai-in-wordpress-7-0.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/siteground-s-icky-approach-to-ai-in-wordpress-7-0.jsonld"}}