Join us in this episode of 'Within WordPress' as we dive deep into the world of WordPress performance and AI with Felix Arntz, a senior software engineer at Google and WordPress core committer. Felix shares his insights on crucial topics including how he and his team work to improve WordPress performance, contribute to existing plugins, and advocate for new features. Discover how large-scale data sets like Crux and HTTP Archive are utilized to gauge and enhance site performance, and explore the exciting opportunities and challenges AI brings to WordPress—from content creation assistance to optimizing back-end functionalities. Whether you're a developer or an end-user, get ready to learn about the future paths for better, faster, and smarter web experiences. 00:00 Introduction and Recording Setup00:20 Welcoming Felix Arntz01:05 Felix's Background and Role at Google01:47 Collaborations and Performance Initiatives04:44 Performance Lab and Site Kit Plugins07:24 Data-Driven Performance Improvements12:30 Challenges in Measuring Performance23:28 Adoption of Performance Lab Features into Core35:08 Balancing Performance and New Features35:44 Optimization Strategies for Web Performance36:34 The Challenge of Video Content and Sustainability39:06 Introducing the AI Services Plugin43:52 Standardizing AI Integration in WordPress47:07 Exploring AI's Potential in Content Creation52:03 The Future of AI in WordPress Development01:03:57 AI and Performance: A Synergistic Approach01:08:42 Concluding Thoughts and Future Directions