#30 - The Agentic CMS
With the rise of Generative AI, WordPress—and content management systems (CMSes) in general—are poised for a transformation. This evolution isn’t just about adding AI-powered buttons like “Expand,” “Rewrite,” or “Convert to Bullets.” Instead, it’s about reimagining CMS platforms as Agentic CMS—intelligent systems that don’t just store content but actively think, assist, and collaborate in the creative process.
Imagine a CMS that allows creators to publish low-fidelity content—whether through writing, voice input, or even rough ideas—and then handles the intermediate steps. The CMS would refine the content, structure it, and ensure its coherence before publication. This shift represents a fundamental rethinking of how content is produced and managed.
Why It Matters
The media business is a complex machine, with interdependent processes—ideation, research, production, editing, packaging, and distribution—all working together. Traditionally, scaling these operations meant hiring more people, increasing overhead in an industry already struggling with thin margins.
Today, content creation isn’t just for media organizations. Brands, businesses, and even individuals now function as media entities, requiring efficient content workflows to engage audiences effectively.
Agentic AI presents a transformative opportunity: rather than relying on large editorial teams, an Agentic CMS can become an active participant in content creation—guiding, assisting, and even automating aspects of the workflow while allowing human editors to focus on high-level strategy and creativity.
This isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about unlocking new potential.
Today, CMSes are Systems of Record
Currently, CMS platforms like WordPress function primarily as systems of record—repositories for text, images, videos, and other assets. They manage what gets published but have little involvement in why content is created or how it comes together.
Storing ‘Why’ and ‘How’—Not Just ‘What’
Here’s the problem: editorial judgment—the nuanced decision-making that shapes content—remains undocumented. Why was this headline chosen? What were the ethical considerations? How was this topic researched? What made one angle more compelling than another?
Agentic CMSes will go beyond storage—they’ll understand the reasoning behind content. They’ll capture:
This could be achieved through real-time voice and text logging, much like scientists dictating observations. Instead of merely recording the final output, the CMS would store editorial thought processes as they happen, creating a knowledge base of decision-making that future AI systems can learn from.
Why: Train AI with Instructions
By recording editorial decision-making steps, we can create structured datasets that train LLMs not just to generate content, but to understand and mimic the reasoning behind editorial decisions. This improves task adherence, step-by-step logic, and creative support for human editors.
This creates a knowledge base of editorial rationale, turning content management into an ongoing learning system for AI models.
Managing Editorial Workload Incrementally
While implementing an Agentic CMS may seem like a radical overhaul, it doesn’t have to be. Editorial teams can take an incremental approach, training AI on one task at a time—perhaps automating headline generation first, then summarization, then content structuring.
Once AI consistently performs a task at an acceptable level, the human effort required for that task reduces. Editors can then shift focus to refining the next step. This phased approach minimizes disruption while gradually enhancing efficiency.
Feedback Loops for Continuous Learning
Editorial decisions are nuanced and context-dependent. One-time instruction training alone cannot fully capture this complexity. The key to maintaining an Agentic CMS is reinforcement learning through human feedback (RLHF).
Unlike static training data, RLHF enables editors to refine AI-generated content iteratively. Editors can review, correct, and reinforce high-quality outputs while flagging biases or errors in real time.?
CMS as a Strategic Competitive Advantage
This ensures that the Agentic CMS isn’t an inflexible automation tool. Instead, it is a living, breathing system that evolves alongside its users, adapting to changing editorial standards, audience preferences, and ethical considerations.?
The evolving system will reflect the editorial team’s unique voice and standards, ensuring that no two publications using the same Agentic CMS function identically.
The Challenge: Behavior Change is a Moat
The biggest challenge isn’t the technology—it’s changing ingrained editorial workflows. Metrics must evolve to reflect new dynamics, and teams must adapt to working alongside AI. This shift is difficult, but if executed well, it becomes a moat.
Publications that embrace Agentic CMS early will gain a strategic advantage. They’ll produce higher-quality content faster, with greater editorial consistency and strategic foresight. The future of WordPress isn’t just about managing content—it’s about actively shaping it.