SiteGround users are criticizing the hosting provider after discovering that its AI Agent plugin had been automatically installed on their websites after the automatic update to WordPress 7.0.
The plugin arrived already activated and pre-configured as the site’s default AI connector, along with 20,000 free monthly AI tokens.
The move quickly drew widespread criticism, with users leaving a wave of negative one-star reviews on the plugin’s WordPress.org page. Several users drew a line between legitimate security interventions and the automatic installation of software on customer sites, arguing that the latter could not be justified without consent and raised concerns about trust and control.
Domenico Longo said he discovered the plugin “installed, activated and connected to SiteGround AI Studio” across all of his WordPress websites without what he described as a “clear explicit opt-in,” adding that “the problem is not AI. The problem is trust.”
Another one-star review from slomeli79 stated, “I cannot trust a plugin from a host that does this kind of thing without consent.”
Tony Gale, who said he had recommended SiteGround hosting plans for years, criticized the company after discovering the AI plugin had been installed across websites he managed without his consent, “ I’ve been a Siteground customer for years and have recommended their hosting plans to multiple people in that timespan. I went into the backend of one of my sites today to find a new icon had appeared, and clicking on it bought up a “get started with AI Agent by Siteground” window – and it turns out they’ve installed this plugin on all the websites I host with them without me ever consenting to this. Good web hosting companies should never tinker with the websites of paid customers in this way. It’s shocking behaviour for a company I’ve always been happy with to this point.”
One of the SiteGround user, claimed the plugin caused CORS-related issue, “ It caused CORS error when I tried to sync data to my woocommerce website. It was a huge pain to finally find that it was causing it as I wasn’t aware that it was installed and activated!…”
Complaints also appeared on Reddit, where one user managing more than 100 websites said that customers were never clearly given the option to opt out and instead received what they described as “a marketing email talking about a new feature.”
Maarten Belmans (founder of Wombat Plugins) echoed similar concerns raised by the Reddit user regarding the email, saying he did not see it, adding “I didn’t see this email, probably because it was a marketing email.” He also said that “Auto-installing plugins is never okay, imo, unless it’s to mitigate serious security issues or urgent bugs.”
The email shared in the Reddit discussion outlined that WordPress 7.0 would introduce AI connectivity features and that SiteGround would automatically enable its AI Studio integration and AI Agent by default for users, including 20,000 free tokens and no requirement for manual setup or API configuration.
Here’s the email sent out by SiteGround, as shared by one of the users on Reddit:
One of the most significant WordPress releases in years is coming, anticipated on May 20, 2026. This new version will provide a standardized way to connect your WordPress site to AI providers providers (learn more), making it possible to integrate a whole new range of AI capabilities for managing and editing your website. Once it rolls out we’ll update your WordPress site automatically. On top of that, we’ll connect it with SiteGround AI Studio so that you can start using AI capabilities right out of the box.
Sites to be automatically updated to WordPress 7.0
As always, we’ll automatically update all WordPress installations on our platform to 7.0 based on your WordPress autoupdate settings. By default, we apply major updates with 24 hour’s notice, so no action is needed on your end. The update itself is just the beginning. We’ve also taken several steps to make sure that you can take advantage of the new AI capabilities without any additional configuration.
AI Studio with 20,000 free tokens to be enabled as your default AI connector
When WordPress 7.0 lands, the standard process to start using AI capabilities will involve a few steps. First, connecting an AI provider of choice by installing a connector and providing an API key. Second, then installing the native WordPress AI plugin so AI capabilities appear in the WordPress core.
SiteGround customers, however, skip all of that entirely. With the new WordPress version, you’ll get SiteGround AI Studio activated as your default AI connector, plus our powerful AI WordPress Agent enabled automatically. This allows you to immediately use AI power for managing your WordPress. No API keys, manual connections, or extra plugins needed. You’re ready to use AI-powered features right away, backed by 20,000 free tokens available to you every month through AI Studio.
Powerful AI Agent for WordPress management to be activated
As part of the WordPress 7.0 update, SiteGround’s AI Agent will appear directly in your WordPress admin ready to help with all sorts of tasks. The moment WordPress 7.0 is live on your site, you’ll have our robust AI chat assistant available directly from your admin dashboard. SiteGround’s AI Agent capabilities go far beyond the standard image and text generation many other AI plugins provide. It can handle real maintenance tasks: updating site settings and plugins, setting product discounts, editing descriptions, auditing and applying SEO changes, and more, all from a single prompt.
Note: Please note that the custom AI Studio connection and the AI Agent activation will not be done as part of the WordPress update for those websites that have a white-label client added to them. If you want, you can activate SiteGround AI agent yourself on such sites. Also good to know: You can also change your default AI connector or completely disable the AI Studio connector any time you want.
Rhys Wynne criticized the company for automatically enabling the AI tooling during the WordPress 7.0 rollout, arguing that features involving AI agents and external connectors should be strictly opt-in.
The backlash was not limited to Reddit and plugin review pages, with similar discussions and criticism also appearing on X.
Andrew Hoyer summed up the rollout with a sarcastic post suggesting that the plugin’s “1 million active installs” figure came from it being automatically installed across hosted websites without asking users.
— Andrew Hoyer (@andrewhoyer) May 26, 2026How to get a WordPress plugin to 1 million active installs in three easy steps:
1. Start a WP hosting company.
2. Get a million websites hosted.
3. Install your plugin on all sites without asking.Success!! pic.twitter.com/QRkVRLotUQ
The downloads per day chart shows a clear spike when the plugin was rolled out to SiteGround users.
Steve Burge also drew attention to the spike in downloads, “Apparently Siteground hosts just over 850,000 websites. They auto-installed their new AI plugin across their network. 2 plugin updates this week = 1,716,000 downloads.”
— Steve Burge (@SteveJBurge) May 26, 2026Apparently Siteground hosts just over 850,000 websites.
They auto-installed their new AI plugin across their network.
2 plugin updates this week = 1,716,000 downloads. pic.twitter.com/DeniC8kH5g
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