The core objectives of this strategy are twofold: Grow the Drupal AI audience by focusing on the specific AI challenges faced by particular industries, and retain existing customers by positioning Drupal AI as a strong motivator for continued Drupal use.An article detailing the roadmap planning is forthcoming.
The top three features by overall weighted score were the Search Optimizer, Audit Trail Agent, and Content Librarian. Conversely, respondents ranked features such as Demand Driver and Lead Enhancer among those with the lowest business value, indicating they may benefit from reframing, clearer use cases, or potential deprioritization.
$300k funding secured to catalyse progress
Strategies to attract further funding were also discussed, together with discussions on how supporters may derive value. This covered details of the “early access” programme, which provides benefits to makers while remaining true to open source and Drupal community values.
A workshop was held to explicitly define concrete deliverables across various functional areas, including product, external relations, operational processes, scaling the team, and financial sustainability.
A full report from the Drupal AI Survey will be released via a special webinar on 28th August.
Discussions also focused on making the technology installable and packaging its various capabilities, with decisions made regarding demo versions to support evaluation.
The first round of Drupal AI Makers (in alphabetical order) was announced in early June:
The off-site fostered improved collaboration and strategic clarity. It also served as a valuable forum to present and critically review a newly developed marketing and communications strategy, ensuring plans are in place to extend awareness of Drupal AI far beyond markets where Drupal is well-established.
Building delivery capacity with dedicated project management
Visit the Drupal AI Initiative homepage to find out more.
The team developed a hiring plan for this critical position, including profiling the role, outlining timelines and budget, and identifying the individuals responsible for the hiring process.
We have a variety of webinars, events, training and ways to contribute. There are opportunities for individuals across a range of skill sets plus we encourage organisations to become Makers of Drupal AI via sponsorship.
A substantial segment was dedicated to evaluating the draft external communication and engagement strategy.
Shaping the next phase of Drupal AI development
The core messaging frames Drupal AI as “a framework to accelerate AI adoption” that allows users to “Integrate today’s best-in-class AI and experiment with tomorrow’s breakthroughs” within the freedom of an open-source ecosystem. The strategy will ensure Drupal AI strengthens Drupal’s longstanding commitment to transparency and robust governance.
The survey’s ranking method was designed to determine feature value and sentiment, helping to prioritise features based on market demand and perceived business value.
Nothing compares to the sense of togetherness and energy that face-to-face gatherings provide. Being together sparked numerous aha moments and new ideas. Of course, in true Drupal fashion, the conversations went on well into the evening. So much progress was made.
Being a maker goes beyond financial support. Each agrees to allocate full-time staff dedicated to advancing key areas of the initiative. Combined, these commitments represent new funding worth 0,000, which will be used to accelerate progress towards our goals.
Informed by the Drupal AI Survey
Fact Finder and Role Master generated the most commentary, which will undoubtedly enhance our approach once we enter the planning phase.
We concluded with a shared sense of purpose, a clear direction, and renewed enthusiasm to advance Drupal AI ahead of DrupalCon Vienna, by which time we will have much to showcase. See you there?
The Drupal AI Initiative is responsible for leading the definition and delivery of major AI capabilities for Drupal. Whilst operating in the fast-paced AI industry, we recognise the importance of taking time to ensure plans to deliver our bold vision are robust.
The Drupal AI Marketing Strategy acknowledges a shift in buyer persona from marketing to AI procurements with more oversight from IT leaders. Over half of AI solution purchases are now funded by central IT budgets and have a strong focus on return on investment (ROI).
Marketing strategy
The latest Drupal AI Makers (in alphabetical order):
Thanks to the new makers, we have greatly increased our capacity to deliver. The leadership team acknowledged the need to recruit a dedicated project manager (PM). This will bring clarity, structure, and accountability to product management, development, and delivery. A focused PM will ensure our development team works effectively, bolstering our ability to ship solutions frequently and maintain Drupal’s leading advantage in open-source AI.
With increasing support from Makers, marketing efforts can be expanded by incorporating team members from these organisations who bring the skills and expertise necessary to achieve our aspirational goals.
With this in mind, last week, members of the Drupal AI Initiative gathered in-person and online for two days of structured activities dedicated to refining the initiative’s direction, funding model, operational framework, and marketing.
Securing sustainable funding and growing the team is fundamental to the initiative’s success, and Dominique De Cooman is leading this area. Dominique has had numerous conversations with Drupal agency leaders regarding the Drupal AI Initiative and how they can get involved. He reported rising interest in support and confirmed a host of additional sponsors, known as “Makers”, joining the initiative.
Photos: Paul Johnson
Rounding off 2 days of intensive meetings
A deep dive into the product roadmap was conducted, where participants worked to define concrete milestones, delivery timelines, and assign ownership of features.
Decisions were made regarding candidate assessment and communicating hiring plans, while interim candidates from makers were identified to fill the role and deliver immediate benefits.
Their support brings the total number of Drupal AI Makers to 15, representing a significant milestone for the initiative. There is also an anonymous sponsor contributing funding. A more detailed blog post about these new makers is coming soon.
Get involved with Drupal AI
The off-site was intentionally held as the Drupal AI Survey drew to a close. Early analysis of 232 submissions ensured that our decision-making processes directly took into account feedback from end users.
