NLWeb: Microsoft's Chatbot Project for Websites

Microsoft Launches NLWeb for Simplified AI Chatbot Integration

In a move designed to streamline the development of AI-powered chatbots for web applications, Microsoft has initiated an open-source project known as NLWeb.

The announcement of NLWeb occurred during Build 2025. It empowers websites to implement a “conversational interface” – essentially a text input field coupled with a submit button – for their users with minimal coding effort.

Key Features and Functionality

NLWeb allows integration with the AI model of the developer’s preference, alongside the utilization of their own proprietary data.

For instance, a retail business could leverage NLWeb to construct a chatbot capable of assisting customers in selecting appropriate attire for particular travel plans.

Alternatively, a culinary website might employ it to develop a bot that recommends complementary dishes to accompany a given recipe.

MCP Support and Semantic Interaction

Web pages constructed using NLWeb have the option to enable content discoverability and accessibility for AI platforms that are compatible with MCP.

MCP represents Anthropic’s standardized protocol for establishing connections between AI models and the systems housing relevant data.

Microsoft articulates in its official press release that NLWeb is intended to fulfill a comparable function to HTML within the context of the agentic web.

The company believes it will facilitate direct user interaction with web content in a manner that is both comprehensive and semantically rich.

Potential Origins and OpenAI Collaboration

While Microsoft has not explicitly confirmed the origins, NLWeb may have evolved from technology initially developed by OpenAI, a close partner of Microsoft.

Reports from The Information in November indicated that OpenAI was collaborating with companies such as Condé Nast, Redfin, Eventbrite, and Priceline on an early iteration of NLWeb.

Initially, OpenAI presented the technology as a means for brands to integrate ChatGPT-like conversational capabilities into their websites.

Project Evolution and Current Status

However, the project encountered several developmental delays attributed to technical challenges.

Following these setbacks, NLWeb appears to be fully operational and ready for widespread adoption, potentially in a refined form compared to OpenAI’s original concept.

This represents a significant step towards democratizing access to AI-driven conversational experiences on the web.