Automattic aims to use WPAI’s products to create a more seamless experience for users of WordPress.

Automattic, the company which owns the web content management system WordPress, has acquired the start-up WPAI.

The acquisition of the artificial intelligence (AI) solutions company by Automattic, comes after the business acquired the app Beeper for a reported $125m in April.

In a statement released yesterday (9 December), Automattic said: “We’re committed to making WordPress smarter, faster and easier for everyone. Today, we’re announcing the acquisition of a company that’s going to help us in that mission: WPAI.”

The start-up’s three founders – James LePage, Greg Hunt and Ovidiu ‘Ovi’ Iulian Galatan – will be joining Automattic in order to “lead the exploration of applied AI as an interaction paradigm for WordPress”.

“They’ll be working on testing, building and integrating innovative AI solutions into the core ecosystem to redefine how users and developers work with WordPress.”

By using WPAI’s tools, Automattic aims make to WordPress more seamless for the plarform’s users.

WPAI, which was established just two years ago, also welcomed the acquisition, claiming that it will help further its mission “to make WordPress more accessible through AI”.

LePage added: “By integrating our technology and research with current and future Automattic products, we’ll be able to accelerate towards our goal of making WordPress, the operating system of the Web, more accessible to everybody.”

In addition, WPAI said that it would share more details about its technology transitions in the coming months.

Automattic made headlines earlier this year when Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, called WP Engine a “cancer to WordPress” at an event in September.

WP Engine then sent a cease-and-desist letter to Automattic, which in turn sent its own cease-and-desist letter over trademark infringement.

Following this, WP Engine filed a lawsuit against Automattic and Mullenweg, accusing them of extortion and abuse of power.

Automattic also owns the platforms Tumblr, Jetpack and WooCommerce, while WPAI is known for AI-centric products such as CodeWP, WP.Chat and AgentWP.

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