The internet has undergone a significant transformation since its early days. It began with static pages in Web 1.0, evolved into interactive platforms with Web 2.0, characterized by user-generated content and social media, and now operates as Web 3.0 which focuses on decentralization and user control through technologies like blockchain. At Build 2025, Microsoft introduced its vision for Web 4.0, referred to as the “open agentic web.” This approach shifts the internet from a click-based experience to one where AI agents act autonomously on behalf of users to simplify their tasks and enhance their efficiency. This article examines Microsoft’s strategy and its potential effects on users and businesses.
Understanding the Open Agentic Web
The open agentic web is essentially an internet ecosystem where AI agents serve as intermediaries between humans and digital services. In this emerging vision of the internet, AI agents make decisions and perform tasks on behalf of users or organizations. One could imagine it as a personal digital assistant that navigates the entire internet, understands context from multiple sources, and executes complex workflows across different platforms.
Unlike the current web, where users must manually visit websites, fill out forms, and work through different interfaces, the agentic web enables AI agents to handle these interactions automatically. For example, an agent could book a restaurant reservation, schedule a meeting, purchase items online, or research information across multiple sources, all based on natural language instructions.
Key principles of this ecosystem are reflected through words “open” and “web.” This means that the ecosystem will be a collaborative system where different AI agents from various companies can work together, similar to how different websites can link to each other today. This openness and collaboration ensure that no single company can control the entire system. Unlike existing web platforms, the agentic web learns to specialize and adapt continuously to facilitate humans in tasks such as their day-to-day activities, scientific research, data analysis, and problem-solving.
Core Components of Microsoft’s Strategy
Microsoft has built its agentic web strategy on two core technical pillars that work together to create AI agents that can interact across the internet.
The first pillar is the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which Microsoft has adopted as a universal standard for AI communication. MCP is an open protocol that standardizes how applications provide context to LLMs. It’s like a USB-C port for AI applications. This protocol enables different AI systems to share information and collaborate, regardless of which company developed them.
The second pillar is NLWeb, Microsoft’s open project designed to transform how websites interact with AI agents. NLWeb is an open-source project developed by Microsoft that aims to simplify the creation of a natural language interface for websites. This allows users to choose their AI model to better utilize their data. This project enables any website to become AI-friendly by adding conversational interfaces that agents can understand and interact with.
Microsoft believes that these two technologies can create a foundation for building AI agents that can move between different services, websites, and applications while maintaining context and understanding user intent. Each NLWeb-enabled site will also act as a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, a universal standard developed by Anthropic for connecting AI systems to external data sources.
How Microsoft is Empowering its Vision
To implement its vision, Microsoft is actively providing developers and organizations with tools to create AI agents compatible with the open agentic web framework. At Build 2025, Microsoft introduced over 50 new AI platforms and developer tools explicitly designed for this purpose.
A notable advancement is GitHub Copilot, which now proactively assists more than 15 million developers by automating coding tasks, fixing bugs, and suggesting enhancements. Microsoft’s Windows AI Foundry and the upgraded Azure AI Foundry also simplify AI model development, enabling developers to create innovative, agent-based applications easily.
Additionally, Microsoft is focusing on multi-agent orchestration, where multiple AI agents collaborate efficiently to perform complex tasks. For instance, one agent gathers data, another drafts a report, and a third performs compliance checks. To support such teamwork, Microsoft is developing cloud-based tools and secure management systems, such as Azure Entra ID for Agents.
By supporting open protocols like MCP and creating projects like NLWeb, Microsoft ensures that developers can build agile solutions without being locked into proprietary systems. This approach encourages innovation and enables smaller companies to compete effectively with established tech giants.
Transforming the User Experience
The concept of open agentic web has the potential to transform online interactions by eliminating the friction between users’ intentions and their digital execution. Users will simply state their goals in natural language, and AI agents will handle the details automatically. For instance, when planning a business trip, rather than manually booking flights, hotels, transportation, and meetings separately as done on existing websites, the Agentic web allows you to simply provide one instruction in natural language, such as “Plan a three-day business trip to Chicago next month with meetings at Company X.” An AI agent would then autonomously handle all the arrangements.
Agentic AI is different from simple automation. It can understand user preferences, historical behaviors, and current contexts to make intelligent decisions. If a standard hotel is unavailable, the agent can automatically choose suitable alternatives based on previous stays and preferences. This natural language-driven interface eliminates the need to learn various technical systems or interfaces.
Impact on Businesses and Organizations
For businesses, the open agentic web is both a major opportunity and a significant change in customer interaction. Companies will develop specialized AI agents for their specific workflows, data, and processes. As consumers increasingly utilize AI agents, businesses must adjust their strategies to focus on structured data and optimized agent interactions. The agentic web will also enable new business models, such as agent-to-agent services, industry-specific AI tools, and integrated platforms that connect various AI systems. Internally, companies will benefit from increased efficiency as AI agents handle routine tasks and manage complex workflows. This allows employees to focus on strategic and creative roles.
Challenges and Considerations
Despite the advantages, developers and stakeholders must address several challenges in the development of open agentic web. Privacy and security concerns will be a key challenge. AI agents accessing sensitive personal or corporate data must operate securely across multiple platforms. Users must trust agents to make sound decisions, necessitating clear accountability, robust security protocols, and transparent decision-making.
Standardization poses another hurdle. Microsoft’s promotion of open standards is essential, but widespread adoption of common protocols and formats is required to prevent ecosystem fragmentation. Technical reliability is also a critical challenge. Autonomous decision-making by AI agents means errors could have significant consequences. Comprehensive testing, continuous monitoring, and efficient error recovery systems will be essential to maintain user confidence.
The Bottom Line
Microsoft’s vision of an open agentic web could be a transformative shift in how individuals and businesses engage with digital services. This innovative approach aims to simplify online interactions, deliver personalized user experiences, and unlock new avenues for innovation. However, achieving this potential requires overcoming critical hurdles, including privacy concerns, technical reliability, and standardization across platforms. Organizations and developers who adapt early to the changing internet will be better equipped to capitalize on its benefits. The development of open agentic web has a potential to create a future where online experiences are simpler, faster, personalized, and more focused on user needs.