O’Reilly, the premier learning platform for technology professionals, announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to integrate Natural Language Web (NLWeb) technology into its websites. NLWeb offers decentralized, context- and intent-aware search capabilities, enabling users and AI systems to ask complex conversational questions and receive precise, relevant answers — all without relying on centralized AI chat or search engines.
What is NLWeb?
- Decentralized Search: NLWeb is a cutting-edge protocol that supports conversational queries directly on websites, preserving the decentralized nature of the web.
- Context & Intent Understanding: It interprets natural language questions with contextual awareness, providing answers without funneling traffic through centralized platforms.
- Schema.org Metadata: NLWeb uses structured metadata to deliver accurate results, eliminating the need for web crawling and improving response relevance.
O’Reilly’s Integration: Expanding Access to Knowledge
- Scope: Initial rollout will enable conversational search across 59,000 books on the O’Reilly platform.
- Purpose: Supports O’Reilly’s mission to connect diverse audiences — from individual practitioners to enterprise teams — with the exact knowledge they need efficiently.
- User Experience: Enables more natural, interactive search capabilities that align with modern AI-driven user expectations, without sacrificing web decentralization principles.
Vision and Industry Impact
- Preserving the Open Web: Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO of O’Reilly, emphasizes NLWeb’s role in maintaining the original promise of the decentralized web while delivering the benefits of AI.
- Reversing Centralization Trends: NLWeb counters the growing dominance of centralized gatekeepers who control content access and traffic, returning agency to content providers.
- Enabling Conversational AI at Source: Websites can now offer conversational search experiences similar to those provided by centralized AI platforms like ChatGPT, without losing traffic or control.
Microsoft’s Role and Collaboration
- Strategic Partner: Microsoft’s Technical Fellow Ramanathan Guha highlights O’Reilly’s longstanding commitment to open internet standards and the importance of their collaboration on bringing AI to the decentralized web.
- Technical Leadership: Microsoft supports NLWeb’s development and adoption, helping pave the way for a more open, AI-enabled internet ecosystem.
The O’Reilly and Microsoft partnership represents a significant step towards a decentralized AI-powered web where conversational search is integrated directly into content-rich sites. By combining NLWeb technology with O’Reilly’s vast knowledge base, this collaboration sets a new standard for user-centric, context-aware information retrieval that preserves the core values of the open internet.
