Artificial Intelligence Agents Crawling Websites: Microsoft's Vision for Future Internet Navigation
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Let's dive into Microsoft's ambitious vision: they're aiming to revolutionize the internet almost as much as mobile phones did over the past two decades, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). However, the tech's limitations could hamper their grand plans.
Flash forward to now, and Microsoft is cooking up a game-changer, coining it the "open agentic web." This digital landscape would allow users to dispatch AI-driven "agents" on a mission. Currently, most interact with AI through a Google search, misleading results, or a chatbot chatter like ChatGPT.
Microsoft views chatbots as yesterday's news.
Now, what's behind Microsoft's open agentic web?
In the Mix:
Microsoft's blueprint includes nurturing an AI ecosystem where agents from multiple companies can work effortlessly side by side, fostering collaboration and compatibility across platforms. Keys to this plan include:
- Model Context Protocol (MCP): Developed by Anthropic, MCP is an open-source standard promoting data sharing efficiency among AI systems. Microsoft is onboard, integrating MCP across platforms like GitHub, Azure AI Foundry, and Windows 11[1][4].
- NLWeb: First presented at Microsoft Build 2025, NLWeb serves as the HTML opposite for the agentic web. It provides developers a standard approach to make web content visible and manageable by AI agents[4].
- Interoperability and Governance: Emphasizing interoperability through open protocols like MCP and firm governance structures is crucial. Microsoft is adding tools like Microsoft Entra Agent ID to help manage agent identities securely[5].
- AI Development Tools: Microsoft is beefing up its developer toolkit, such as GitHub Copilot, and introducing platforms like Windows AI Foundry and Azure AI Foundry. Their objective: democratizing AI development through features like automated code analysis and model benchmarking[5].
The World of Tomorrow:
The open agentic web's goal is to revolutionize the internet with autonomous AI systems at the helm. This means:- Autonomous Tasks: AI agents will independently handle tasks, boosting efficiency across sectors like cybersecurity and customer service[1][5].- Collaboration Across Systems: By enabling cross-company AI agent collaboration, Microsoft is aiming to build a more cohesive and effective digital world[1][2].- New User Experiences: Engaging with websites will transform as users converse with AI agents to extract, process, and act on web information[4].
In a nutshell, Microsoft's vision for the open agentic web targets a future where AI agents harmoniously collaborate, shaping our tech interactions and connections.
Technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are at the heart of Microsoft's open agentic web vision, an ambitious plan to revamp the internet by deploying AI-driven agents for various tasks, fostering collaboration among multiple companies, and revolutionizing user experiences. This shift involves the use of open-source standards like the Model Context Protocol (MCP), the development of NLWeb as an HTML counterpart for AI agents, and a focus on interoperability, governance, and AI development tools such as GitHub Copilot and Microsoft Entra Agent ID. The ultimate goal is to create a cohesive and effective digital world with autonomous AI systems handling tasks across different sectors and providing new, interactive ways for users to engage with websites.
