Last week, four of us from Filter (Paul Halfpenny, Ian Harris, Natalie Smith and Allie Tupper) headed to the final #WPLDN of 2025 to take part in an AI build battle.
The concept was simple enough: use Telex, Automattic’s AI tool, to create festive-themed WordPress blocks. Our opponent was maker Mark Westguard, and with five rounds, live audience votes and no time to overthink, the pressure was on from the start.
It was chaotic in the best way. Each round we’d frantically type prompts, watch what Telex came up with, tweak things on the fly and hope for the best – all while the clock ticked down and a room full of people watched our screens. Some rounds produced playful holiday visuals that got a great reaction. Others went in directions we definitely didn’t intend. That’s the nature of AI prompting though – you’re never entirely sure what you’re going to get until you get it.
After four rounds, the scores were almost perfectly level. The Filter crew had pulled out some decent ideas and solid festive flair, and the audience seemed to be warming to us — having Olly Morrison and Char Bryce in the crowd cheering us on certainly didn’t hurt.
Then came the final round.
Let’s just say our prompt went a bit sideways. We tried to steer it back on course. We did not steer it back on course. Mark took the win by the slimmest of margins, and fair play to him.
Was it gutting? A little. Was it a brilliant evening? Absolutely. There’s something weirdly addictive about live prompting under pressure — you learn more in five minutes of panic than you do in hours of careful testing. It’s not just about knowing the tools; it’s about trying things, seeing what sticks and figuring out what works (and what really doesn’t) in real time.
Big thanks to the organisers, to Mark for being a worthy opponent, and to everyone who voted, laughed and got stuck in with us. We’ll be back for another go — hopefully with slightly better prompts at the ready.
Until then, we’re taking our new-found love of Telex and the lessons learned with us.
CTO & Founder
Having worked in agencies since he left university, Paul drives both the technical output at Filter, as well as being responsible for planning. His key strengths are quickly understanding client briefs and being able to communicate complex solutions in a clear and simple manner.
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