Microsoft NLWeb Simplifies AI Chatbot Integration for Websites
Microsoft's new open-source project, NLWeb, aims to streamline the process of building AI-powered chatbots for websites. Announced at Build 2025, NLWeb empowers developers to create conversational interfaces with minimal coding.
How NLWeb Works
With NLWeb, websites can easily integrate a conversational interface, essentially a text field and a submission button. Developers can use their preferred AI model and data, making the process highly customizable. For example, a retail website could use NLWeb to build a chatbot that helps customers find clothing for specific trips. A cooking website could create a chatbot that suggests dishes to pair with a recipe.
Connecting with AI Platforms
NLWeb also allows websites to make their content discoverable and accessible to AI platforms that support MCP, Anthropic's standard for connecting AI models to data systems. This integration enhances the chatbot's ability to access and process relevant information.
Microsoft believes NLWeb can play a similar role to HTML for the agentic web, allowing users to interact directly with web content in a rich, semantic manner.
Potential Origins and Future
While unconfirmed, NLWeb may have its roots in technology from OpenAI, Microsoft's close collaborator. Previous reports suggested OpenAI was working on a similar project with partners like Condé Nast and Redfin. Now, NLWeb appears ready for wider adoption.
By simplifying chatbot integration, NLWeb promises to enhance user engagement and unlock new possibilities for web interactions.
