Microsoft Build Conference Shares Vision to Enable Every Site With AI Powered Search

At the Microsoft Build conference, Microsoft unveiled NLWeb, an open protocol designed to let any website or app integrate ChatGPT-style queries with minimal code. Developed by technical fellow Ramanathan V. Guha, whose credits include RSS and Schema.org, NLWeb promises to decentralize AI search so that sites can run their own natural-language interfaces rather than relying on external chatbots.

A Fourth Computing Revolution

At the Microsoft Build conference, Guha argues we’re entering a fourth era of personal computing: communicating with software in everyday language. To date, most interactions have been funneled through monolithic services like ChatGPT or Bing, which capture user queries but don’t share the resulting knowledge back with websites. NLWeb changes that dynamic. By adding just a few lines of protocol code, site owners supply their own data and choose their preferred AI model, and NLWeb handles the request-and-response flow in structured form.

Real-World Demos in Minutes at Microsoft Build Conference

In demos at the Microsoft Build Conference, Guha showed NLWeb in action on Serious Eats. A query for “spicy and crunchy appetizers” immediately surfaced tailored recipe links, and when refined with “for Diwali” and “vegetarian,” the system remembered those preferences for all future searches. On an outdoor retailer’s site, a natural-language search for “jackets warm enough for Quebec” returned custom-filtered products with photos and sponsored placements, all powered by the site’s own content.

Unlike traditional web search, which requires expensive crawling and indexing, NLWeb simply ingests tools like RSS feeds into a vector database. It then calls lightweight models—Guha demoed GPT-4o Mini but says even cheaper options exist—to generate responses quickly and affordably. Microsoft is already collaborating with partners from TripAdvisor to Shopify to roll NLWeb out across diverse platforms, offering an open standard rather than bespoke vendor deals.

Bigger Than Microsoft?

While NLWeb ties into Microsoft’s broader Azure and Copilot ecosystem—driving eventual revenue from agentic AI services—Guha believes the protocol could outgrow any single company. Future questions asked at the Microsoft Build conference include how preference data might be shared across sites and whether agents can autonomously navigate tasks on users’ behalf. Yet history shows standards like RSS and Schema.org can take hold, and if NLWeb wins broad support, it could reshape how search and AI work on the open web, keeping knowledge where it belongs, in the hands of publishers and users.

What Else was Revealed at the Microsoft Build Conference?

At the Microsoft Build Conference, the company launched a strategy called the “open agentic web” with Microsoft at the center of it. It introduced dozens of AI tools and platforms that are created to help developers create autonomous AI systems that can make decisions and carry out tasks with minimal human intervention. 

More than 50 announcements from GitHub, Azure, Windows, and Microsoft 365 focused on advancing AI agent technologies. Some positive news has been building around Microsoft during the Build conference after it announced massive Microsoft worker reduction last week. 

The breadth of Microsoft’s AI-related announcements at Build showcases the company’s approach to AI as the next major computing paradigm. Microsoft will be a central player in the emerging agentic ecosystem as it mirrors its earlier cloud computing approach to AI. It is advancing open standards and providing comprehensive tools, platforms, and infrastructure to the developer community to ensure that AI agents will transform business operations and create a world where AI can anticipate needs and make decisions. 

About the Author: Sarah Zimmerman is a seasoned crypto and Web3 news writer passionate about uncovering the latest developments in the digital asset space. With years of hands-on experience covering blockchain innovations, cryptocurrency trends, and decentralized technologies, she strives to deliver insightful and balanced news that empowers her readers. Her work is dedicated to demystifying complex topics and keeping you informed about the ever-evolving world of technology.