The NLWeb Vision – AI as the New Web Standard
At Build 2025, Microsoft introduced NLWeb (Natural Language Web)—an open project designed to revolutionize how websites interact with users. Envisioned as a transformative shift akin to the birth of HTML, NLWeb aims to make websites naturally conversational and AI-native, enabling visitors to interact through everyday language instead of traditional search bars or forms.
More than just another chatbot layer, NLWeb embeds intelligence into the very fabric of the web. Through seamless integration of AI models, websites built with NLWeb can understand and respond to natural language queries, making them feel more like intelligent applications than static pages.
Turning Websites Into AI-Powered Apps
Microsoft defines NLWeb as “the fastest and easiest way to effectively turn your website into an AI app.” This means that any website using NLWeb becomes capable of interpreting and responding to natural language questions about its content. It’s a Co-pilot-like experience, only this time, the assistant lives inside your site.
This shift could replace traditional UI patterns—menus, forms, and search fields—with dynamic, responsive interfaces that understand user intent. Visitors could ask, “What’s your refund policy?” or “When is the next webinar?” and receive direct, contextual responses instantly.
More Than Chatbots – Building the Agentic Web
But the ambition doesn’t stop at chat interfaces. NLWeb-enabled websites also function as Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. Developed by Anthropic, MCP is a universal standard that lets AI agents interface directly with data sources across the web.
By adopting MCP, every NLWeb site becomes discoverable and actionable for autonomous agents. This sets the stage for an “agentic web,” where AI doesn’t just retrieve information, but acts on it—initiating returns, booking meetings, or negotiating with customer service bots autonomously.
Imagine AI agents navigating and transacting on your behalf across a mesh of NLWeb-enabled sites, turning browsing into doing—seamlessly, efficiently, and independently.
Open, Inclusive, and Technology-Agnostic
A standout feature of NLWeb is its open and inclusive design. It’s technology agnostic, meaning it supports all major AI models, operating systems, and vector databases. This ensures wide accessibility and adaptability across the web development ecosystem.
The mastermind behind the project, RV Guha, a legend in web semantics and now Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President and Technical Fellow, is applying decades of expertise to make NLWeb the backbone of the AI-first internet.
NLWeb and the Evolution of Digital Intelligence
In the early days of the web, HTML was a quiet revolution—it gave structure to chaos and built the foundation for global connectivity. With NLWeb, Microsoft is making a similarly bold bet: that natural language and intelligent agents will define the next phase of the internet.
But this isn’t just a technical innovation. It’s a philosophical one.
NLWeb signals a shift from human adapting to technology—learning interfaces, clicking through pages—to technology adapting to humans, understanding intent, nuance, and context.
As websites become AI-literate, the boundaries between user and machine will blur. We’re not just browsing anymore—we’re conversing, collaborating, and soon, co-creating. In that future, NLWeb may very well be the lingua franca between humans and the digital world.
(With agency inputs)
