What DrupalCon Vienna 2025 Made Me Realize About Drupal, AI, and the Future of the Open Web
I just finished watching the DrupalCon Vienna 2025 keynote, and for the first time in a while, it didn’t just feel like a product update — it felt like a turning point.
The web is changing fast. AI is rewriting how people discover, consume, and even trust information. When 70% of searches now end in AI-generated answers, you start to wonder: where do websites fit in that new reality?
Dries didn’t dodge that question. He faced it head-on — and so did the community.
Drupal’s Hidden Advantage
For years, people have said Drupal was “too complex.” But that same complexity — the structured data, strong APIs, versioning, and permissions — now looks like a gift. It means Drupal is AI-ready by design.
While others are patching AI into rigid systems, Drupal’s architecture already speaks the same language — structured, contextual, composable.
What Stood Out for Me
- Aquia Source — an AI-powered, fully managed CMS on Drupal. It’s fast, secure, and actually respects content architecture.
- Drupal Canvas — a visual builder for marketers and creators, coming November 2025. It’s simple but still Drupal at heart.
- Figma Integration — design meets code in real time. That’s been a dream for years.
- ECA & Active Pieces — workflow automation that can finally connect Drupal to the rest of the tech stack — natively and no-code.
All of it points to one thing: Drupal isn’t reacting to the AI era — it’s shaping it.
The Human Side
What really landed with me was the tone of the community. No panic, no hype — just builders figuring out how to keep the open web open. That’s rare.
As someone who’s worked in Drupal for years, this feels personal. Drupal’s always been about balance — structure and creativity, freedom and stability. Now, it’s about weaving AI into that same balance.
My Takeaway
We’re not just maintaining old websites anymore; we’re reimagining what a website is. And Drupal’s uniquely positioned to lead that shift — not because it’s perfect, but because it’s flexible enough to evolve.
If you’ve been around this ecosystem for a while, this is a moment worth paying attention to.
If you’re new, it’s a great time to join. The tools are catching up with the vision.
The future of the open web isn’t something we watch unfold — it’s something we build together.