Change out the developer-centric administration menu with one that meets the needs of your site admins, editors and authors with the Admin Menu Swap module.

Drupal's Modeler API released - learn about the benefits Jürgen Haas Wed 30 Jul 2025 - 13:57

Drupal's ECA module has been released 3 years ago, and provides an incredible workflow automation and orchestration platform together with an intuitive UI based on BPMN diagrams. Other complex configuration requirements can now be managed with the same tools as the newly introduced Modeler API provides the framework to serve applications like ECA or AI Agents with modern, exchangeable UIs without having to re-implement any of those ever again. This blog post describes the architecture, and the benefits that come out of all this for software developers and end-users alike.

In my previous post, [The great digital agency unbundling](https://dri.es/ai-and-the-great-digital-agency-unbundling), I explored how AI is transforming the work of digital agencies. As AI automates more technical tasks, agencies will be shifting their focus toward orchestration, strategic thinking, and accountability. This shift also changes what they need from their tools. Content management systems like [Drupal](https://new.drupal.org/home) must evolve with them. This is not just about adding AI features. It is about becoming a platform that strengthens the new agency model. Because as agencies take on new roles, they will adopt the tools that help them succeed. As I wrote then: > "As the Project Lead of Drupal, I think about how Drupal, the product, and its ecosystem of digital agencies can evolve _together_. They need to move in step to navigate change and help shape what comes next" The good news is that the Drupal community is embracing AI in a coordinated and purposeful way. Today, Drupal CMS already ships with 22 AI agents, and through the [Drupal AI Initiative](https://dri.es/accelerating-ai-innovation-in-drupal), we are building additional infrastructure and tooling to bring more AI capabilities to Drupal. In this post, I want to share why I believe Drupal is not just ready to evolve, but uniquely positioned to thrive in the AI era. ### Drupal is built for AI Imagine an AI agent that plans, executes, and measures complex marketing campaigns across your CMS, CRM, email platform, and analytics tools without requiring manual handoff at every step. To support that level of orchestration, a platform must expose its content models, configuration data, state, user roles and permissions, and business logic in a structured, machine-readable way. That means making things like entity types, field definitions, relationships, and workflows available through APIs that AI systems can discover, inspect, and act on safely. Most platforms were not designed with this kind of structured access in mind. Drupal has been moving in that direction for more than a decade. Since Drupal 7, the community has invested deeply in modernizing the platform. We introduced a unified Entity API, adopted a service container with dependency injection, and expanded support for REST, JSON:API, and GraphQL. We also built a robust configuration management system, improved testability, and added more powerful workflows with granular revisioning and strong rollback support. Drupal also has excellent API documentation. These changes made Drupal not only more programmable but also more introspectable. AI agents can query Drupal's structure, understand relationships between entities, and make informed decisions based on both content and configuration. This enables AI to take meaningful action inside the system rather than just operating at the surface. And because Drupal's APIs are open and well-documented, these capabilities are easier for developers and AI systems to discover and build on. Making these architectural improvements was not easy. Upgrading from Drupal 7 was painful for many, and at the time, the benefits of Drupal 8's redesign were not obvious. We were not thinking about AI at the time, but in hindsight, we built exactly the kind of modern, flexible foundation that makes deep AI integration possible today. As is often the case, there is [pain before the payoff](https://dri.es/the-pain-before-the-payoff). ### AI makes Drupal's power more accessible I think this is exciting because AI can help make Drupal's flexibility more accessible. Drupal is one of the most flexible content management systems available. It powers everything from small websites to large, complex digital platforms. That flexibility is a strength, but it also introduces complexity. For newcomers, Drupal's flexibility can be overwhelming. Building a Drupal site requires understanding how to select and configure contributed modules, creating content types and relationships, defining roles and permissions, building Views, developing a custom theme, and more. The learning curve is steep and often prevents people from experiencing Drupal's power and flexibility. AI has the potential to change that. In the future, you might describe your needs by saying something like, "I need a multi-language news site with editorial workflows and social media integration". An AI assistant could ask a few follow-up questions, then generate a working starting point. I've demonstrated early prototypes of this vision in recent [DriesNotes](https://dri.es/tag/state-of-drupal), including [DrupalCon Barcelona 2024](https://dri.es/state-of-drupal-presentation-september-2024) and [DrupalCon Atlanta 2025](https://dri.es/state-of-drupal-presentation-march-2025). Much of that code has been productized in the [Drupal AI modules](https://www.drupal.org/project/ai). In my Barcelona keynote, I said that "AI is the new UI". AI helps lower the barrier to entry by turning complex setup tasks into simple prompts and conversations. With the right design, it can guide new users while still giving experts full control. In my last post, [The great digital agency unbundling](https://dri.es/ai-and-the-great-digital-agency-unbundling), I shared a similar perspective: > "Some of the hardest challenges the Drupal community has faced, such as improving usability or maintaining documentation, may finally become more manageable. I see ways AI can support Drupal's mission, lower barriers to online publishing, make Drupal more accessible, and help build a stronger, more inclusive Open Web. The future is both exciting and uncertain." Of course, AI comes with both promise and risk. It raises ethical questions and often fails to meet expectations. But ignoring AI is _not_ a strategy. AI is already changing how digital work gets done. If we want Drupal to stay relevant, we need to explore its potential. That means experimenting thoughtfully, sharing what we learn, and helping shape how these tools are built and used. ### Drupal's AI roadmap helps agencies AI is changing how digital work gets done. Some platforms can now generate full websites, marketing campaigns, or content strategies in minutes. For simple use cases, that may be enough. But many client needs are more complex. As requirements grow and automations become more sophisticated, agencies continue to play a critical role. They bring context, strategy, and accountability to challenges that off-the-shelf tools cannot solve. That is the future we want Drupal to support. We are _not_ building AI to replace digital agencies, but to strengthen them. Through the [Drupal AI Initiative](https://dri.es/accelerating-ai-innovation-in-drupal), Drupal agencies are actively helping shape the tools they want to use in an AI-driven world. As agencies evolve in response to AI, they will need tools that evolve with them. Drupal is not only keeping pace but helping lead the way. By investing in AI in collaboration with the agencies who rely on it, we are making Drupal stronger, more capable, and more relevant. ### Now is the moment to move The shift toward AI-powered digital work is inevitable. Platforms will succeed or fail based on how well they adapt to this reality. Drupal's investments in modern architecture, open development, and community collaboration has created something unique: a platform that doesn't just add AI features but fundamentally supports AI-driven workflows. While other systems scramble to retrofit AI capabilities, Drupal's foundation makes deep integration possible. The question isn't whether AI will change digital agencies and content management. It already has. The question is which platforms will help agencies and developers thrive in that new reality. Drupal is positioning itself to be one of them.

The second webinar in the Bringing Drupal AI Into Your DNA series focused on rolling up your sleeves and getting Drupal’s AI module working on real sites. Hosted by Jamie Abrahams, co-founder of FreelyGive, and Marcus Johansson, lead developer on the Drupal AI initiative, this session balanced developer-focused walkthroughs with honest takes on what’s working and what still needs your help.

This session is part of a free, public training series backed by the European Commission in partnership with the Drupal community. The goal: to equip builders, developers, and digital agencies with ethical, open-source tools and knowledge to bring AI into Drupal sites responsibly.

Watch the webinar recording now.

The first session in the series — “Bringing Drupal AI Into Your DNA: Introduction” — featured Jamie alongside Dries Buytaert and introduced the strategic initiative, the long-term vision, and the open contribution model being built around AI in Drupal.

This second session moves from vision to implementation: it’s about getting the AI module installed, configured, and ready to use.

Keep Calm and Install AI

Right from the top, Jamie made the audience feel comfortable diving in, regardless of where they’re starting from:

This one is going to be slightly more developer focused, but you’re going to know how to get started.

Jamie Abrahams

The session covered:

• Installing the AI module via Composer and verifying dependencies.
• Connecting the module to OpenAI or your LLM of choice, with examples for local dev and production.
• Managing permissions and API keys securely.
• Running a basic content generation test to confirm that the setup works end-to-end.

Community Matters

Jamie’s role as co-founder of FreelyGive and maintainer of the AI module keeps him right at the centre of this fast-growing ecosystem. He shared that:

I’ve been focusing on native Drupal CRM and been particularly obsessed with AI recently 

Jamie Abrahams

He made it clear this is all a work in progress. That’s exactly why the Drupal community’s input is so critical. Expect a bit of trial and error, but know that the maintainers genuinely want your feedback.

Marcus’ Hands on Demos

Marcus, who leads parts of the Drupal AI initiative, gave the developer audience concrete examples of how to work with AI functionality, from voice output to local installations. These live demos showed exactly how flexible the AI module can be and where it’s heading next. Expect more video walkthroughs, local dev examples, and client modules that link to other providers.

Join In!

If you’re interested in Drupal + AI, there’s no better time to get involved. Your contributions, whether that’s testing new releases, sharing feedback, or writing documentation, matter.

Next steps:

• Watch the webinar replay if you missed it
• Check out the AI Module on Drupal.org
• Join the #ai channel on Drupal Slack to connect with Jamie, Marcus, and the rest of the community

This webinar is exactly what more open source projects need: practical, transparent, and focused on real implementation, not hype. Install the AI module. Test it. Break it. Improve it. And share what you learn,  because that’s how Drupal AI moves forward.

Upcoming Sessions

In the coming months, the webinar series continues with targeted training sessions that build upon each other. All sessions are free, recorded, and open to the public.

• 2 September: AI Search
• 23 September: AI Agents (No-Code Creation)
• 7 October: Advanced: Build AI Agents with Code
   

Drupal has evolved significantly from it's initial developer-focused content management system. In 2025, it's entering one of its most notable moments yet, characterized by low-code content creation, AI-driven personalization, out-of-the-box website templates, and enterprise scalability. This shift reflects Drupal's commitment to accessibility, innovation, and performance as it moves away from legacy systems like Drupal 7 and marches toward the future. Here are 10 key things to watch for in 2025: 1. Drupal CMS 2.0 Drupal CMS 2.0 is planned for Q3 2025, October, as a major release. It succeeds

Since the deprecation of Universal Analytics in 2023, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has been the standard for web analysis. Becoming proficient in event-based tracking is the secret to achieving the maximum potential of GA4 on conversion and user insight. To be able to understand how your users interact with your site is to know how to optimize performance and convert. GA4 introduces a powerful event-based tracking model that is more developed than traditional URL path or file type filtering and offers a more precise, adaptive, and actionable way to measure user behavior. This guide discusses why

Fraud is an ever-present risk in digital commerce, especially for platforms that manage high volumes of transactions, such as donation websites and online stores. At Vardot, we've helped major humanitarian organizations like UNHCR and UNRWA launch secure donation platforms using Drupal and Drupal Commerce. What Is Fraud? Fraud in e-commerce is any deceptive activity that results in unauthorized transactions, stolen data, or chargebacks. This includes stolen credit cards, fake donations, bots submitting forms, and users disputing valid charges to get refunds. For commerce or donations platforms

Automating all the things - 24 ideas for things you can automate with your website

Jul 29, 2025 By John Locke 0

Last December I wrote up 24 specific things we've automated on Drupal, and published them as an Advent Calender -- one little nugget each day.

Sustainable/Open Business Read More