These AI agents can browse, search, extract, and act - without human supervision. This emerging paradigm is referred to as the Agentic Web.
While much attention is being given to dedicated API endpoints and modern interfaces designed specifically for machine interaction, the current pace of AI development means that existing websites - with all their legacy structure and idiosyncrasies - will remain a critical source of information for agents for the foreseeable future.
What Is the Agentic Web?
The Agentic Web is the evolving ecosystem of websites, platforms, and tools that can be accessed and navigated by software agents rather than humans. These agents operate independently, interpreting content and performing actions on behalf of users or organisations.
Unlike traditional bots, these agents are often powered by large language models (LLMs), capable of reasoning about unstructured content, following links, submitting forms, and summarising results. In many ways, they behave like virtual knowledge workers.
How Agents Are Using the Web Today
In the past year, several new tools have emerged that allow AI systems to access the live web as part of their workflows. Examples include:
- ChatGPT with web access, which allows users to perform live search tasks directly in conversation.
- Manus, a platform that enables AI agents to execute multi-step workflows involving real-time web queries.
- n8n, an automation platform that integrates AI agents with a wide range of third-party services and websites.
- Cursor and Windsurf (formerly Codeium), which act as coding assistants that sometimes retrieve live code examples or documentation from the web.
These tools demonstrate that web search and retrieval are rapidly becoming core components of AI workflows. As agents become more capable, the volume and complexity of their interactions with websites will only grow.
The Role of Retrievability
Even as companies invest in dedicated agent endpoints and APIs - often governed by standards like the Model Context Protocol (MCP) - much of the world’s valuable online information remains locked in conventional websites. The retrievability of this information will define whether it can be accessed and used effectively by AI agents.
This retrievability is not just about having clean HTML. It involves clear layouts, consistent structures, and predictable patterns that allow agents to identify content and navigate pages. Sites not designed for agents may still be accessible if they are readable, stable, and minimally dependent on JavaScript for critical content.
A Transition Already Underway
Management teams should be aware that this transition is not hypothetical. The share of search-related tasks conducted by AI is growing. In early 2024, Gartner predicted that traditional search engine traffic would decline by 25% by 2026 due to the rise of AI agents and chat-based interfaces.
At the same time, AI systems are becoming increasingly adept at accessing and interpreting live content. This trend is not limited to search. Agents now support tasks in areas ranging from procurement and legal research to competitive intelligence and customer support triage.
A New Class of User
The Agentic Web implies a new kind of user: one that does not see images, cannot be marketed to in the traditional sense, and does not interact through a graphical interface. These agents are indifferent to design but highly sensitive to structure, clarity, and reliability. Their priorities differ from those of human visitors, and the metrics of success may change as their influence grows.
Understanding the Agentic Web is not just a matter of technical curiosity. It marks a shift in how online content is consumed, valued, and acted upon. Businesses that recognise the presence of these new users-agents operating on behalf of customers, employees, or partners - will be better positioned to navigate the coming years.
As AI agents continue to gain capabilities, the ability of existing websites to serve them effectively will remain essential, even as new architectures and standards begin to take hold.
