Share

When we launched Telex back in August, we invited everyone to experiment with AI-powered block creation. Since then, thousands of you have built blocks, shared feedback, and pushed the tool…

WordPress.com News Read on blog or Reader Telex Updates: From Napkin Sketch to WordPress Block (and More) By Semiha Kocer on February 19, 2026 When we launched Telex back in August, we invited everyone to experiment with AI-powered block creation. Since then, thousands of you have built blocks, shared feedback, and pushed the tool in directions we didn't expect. That enthusiasm kept us going. Here's what's new. 1. Show Telex what you want to build You can now upload reference images when describing your block. A Figma mockup. A screenshot of a design you like. A napkin sketch.  Upload it alongside your prompt and let Telex see what you're imagining. This helps most with complex layouts — or when you're chasing a specific aesthetic. Instead of writing a detailed description of how every element should be arranged, just show it. A picture is worth a thousand prompt words, or so they say. 2. Work in your favorite editor, then come back One of our most requested features — editing blocks outside of Telex — is here. Download your block, open it in VS Code, Cursor, or whatever you prefer (we're not starting that debate), and make your changes. Then upload the zip back to Telex to keep refining with AI. This round-trip workflow bridges AI generation and traditional development. It's early days — we'll keep improving it. 3. Explore previous versions risk-free Version history now works better. When you restore a previous version, Telex creates a new version instead of overwriting your current work.  This means you can explore past iterations, compare approaches, and recover that thing you deleted three prompts ago. Your past mistakes are now just research. Or as we call it: iterative development. 4. Telex speaks your language Telex is now available in 7 languages for you to create blocks and experiment. We also fixed an issue where Japanese, Chinese, emoji, and other multi-byte characters weren't streaming correctly. 5. Small improvements that add up We've also shipped a bunch of smaller fixes: Dynamic page titles: Juggling multiple blocks in different tabs? The page title now matches your selected project. Save confirmations: Manual code edits now show a "Files updated" message. You'll always know your changes took. Shorter share links: Cleaner URLs that are easier to pass along. Changelog page: Want to keep up with every update? We now have a dedicated changelog. It's like release notes, but we actually write them. Keep experimenting Telex is a living experiment. Your feedback shapes where it goes. Spin up a block. Try the image upload. Tell us what's working and what isn't — in the comments or through the in-app feedback form. Start experimenting with Telex Comment Like WordPress.com News © 2026. Unsubscribe or manage your email subscriptions. Get the Jetpack app Subscribe, bookmark, and get real-time notifications – all from one app! Automattic, Inc. 60 29th St. #343, San Francisco, CA 94110

Share

Lily Burton spent years in the lab. PhD in biochemistry and molecular biophysics at the University of Chicago. Deep research. Big questions. But something was missing. "I really enjoyed thinking…

WordPress.com News Read on blog or Reader Lily Burton Is Pivoting from PhD to Science Journalism. Her Portfolio Took an Hour to Build — and Already Landed Her Work. By WordPress.com Staff on February 18, 2026 Lily Burton spent years in the lab. PhD in biochemistry and molecular biophysics at the University of Chicago. Deep research. Big questions. But something was missing. "I really enjoyed thinking about very deep questions," she says. "But I kind of missed the human element. I would get frustrated — why should a normal, everyday person care about this?" That question led her toward science writing. And eventually, to a portfolio she built in an hour using our AI website builder. From lab to byline To pursue her science writing dream, Lily built up slowly. Volunteer projects. Small bylines. Then, in late 2023, she applied to the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship — mostly as practice. She got in. Ten weeks at a public radio station in North Carolina, reporting on science. That was the moment it became real. "This might actually be something I could do." The portfolio problem But to get paid work, she needed a portfolio. A place to show her clips. Proof she could do the job. She kept putting it off. I had been dreading making the website — not because it would be so hard, but I just didn't know exactly how to do it. Then a deadline hit. An internship application. Four hours to finish everything — resume, cover letter, portfolio. She opened WordPress.com, found the AI website builder, and started typing. About an hour later, her online portfolio was live. It lowered the barrier for me to get started and get everything together. What Lily's new website delivered She didn't get that first job. But the website stuck around. A few weeks later, another interview. They wanted writing samples. She sent the website immediately. As a result, Lily got: Contract work from that company A separate internship A portfolio ready to send whenever opportunities come up They asked for writing samples. I sent them my website. I got the contract. Your story deserves a home, too Lily had been putting off her portfolio for too long. A deadline forced her hand — and the AI website builder got her there in an hour. WordPress.com's managed hosting also means she's not dealing with updates or maintenance. She focuses on her career. The platform handles the rest. Her story started in the lab. But her website is where the next chapter begins. Yours can too. You bring the idea — AI makes it real Use our AI website builder for free today. Try it now Comment Like WordPress.com News © 2026. Unsubscribe or manage your email subscriptions. Get the Jetpack app Subscribe, bookmark, and get real-time notifications – all from one app! Automattic, Inc. 60 29th St. #343, San Francisco, CA 94110