The web browser has been the default interface for accessing online information for decades, but AI search is starting to change that assumption. Tools like Microsoft Copilot already let users ask plain-language questions and receive direct answers, bypassing the traditional results page entirely.
NLWeb is Microsoft's attempt to extend that shift down to the website level itself. Announced at Build 2025, it's an open protocol that lets any web property respond to natural language queries without a search engine acting as an intermediary.
