At Build 2025, Microsoft introduced NLWeb, a new open protocol designed to simplify AI-powered search integration for websites and apps. Created by Microsoft CTO Ramanathan V. Guha, the protocol allows developers to build their own chatbots using their preferred AI models and proprietary data. NLWeb’s goal is to decentralize AI interactions on the web, giving developers greater flexibility and control.
With just a few lines of code, NLWeb enables developers to add ChatGPT-style experiences to any site or application. You can ask questions in natural language and receive structured, context-aware responses. This approach removes the need for complex infrastructure and makes it possible to create custom chatbots quickly. Developers can use any AI model they choose and tailor the experience based on specific user needs or content types.
During his presentation at Build 2025, Guha demonstrated the protocol’s versatility with examples from Serious Eats and an outdoor retail platform. In each case, NLWeb-powered AI provided relevant, personalized responses—such as offering vegetarian recipes for Diwali or suggesting weather-appropriate gear for Quebec winters.
Industry Partnerships and Broader Access
Microsoft has already partnered with several major platforms to roll out NLWeb, including TripAdvisor, Eventbrite, and Shopify. These collaborations highlight the protocol’s scalability and potential for broad adoption across industries. The protocol also supports Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing participating sites to make their content easily accessible to AI agents and other MCP-enabled systems.
Guha, known for his foundational work on RSS, RDF, and Schema.org, joined Microsoft in 2024 after nearly 20 years at Google, reminds NIX Solutions. His focus remains on making the web more open, flexible, and accessible—particularly when it comes to AI. Instead of centralizing AI capabilities within large platforms, NLWeb opens up possibilities for any developer or business to create their own tailored AI tools.
The protocol is still evolving, and more integrations are expected soon—we’ll keep you updated as new use cases and partners emerge. NLWeb represents a shift toward a more open AI ecosystem, where developers have greater autonomy over how they deploy and scale intelligent features on the web.