The agentic web is arriving

A chatbot sits alongside your tabs, always present and ready to summarise a news story, check a site's legitimacy, surface alternative opinions or pull background on an author. On shopping sites it can compare prices or explain a product before you buy.

The layout problem

The idea is powerful. But the web as it stands is not ready. Add a chatbot panel and many sites collapse into awkward layouts. They were designed for MacBook screens, not for a browser split down the middle. Then comes the clash of bots. A site's own widget competes for attention with the browser's agent, sometimes both expanding at once and breaking the experience.

The protocol gap

The deeper gap is protocol. Today there is no common way for websites to talk to these agents. No secure method exists to share product data, trigger flows or hide redundant elements. Without that layer, agents are left to scrape, guess or risk exposing users to malicious code.

What is needed

What is needed is a standard. Sites should be able to mark their widgets so the browser hides them when an agentic panel is active. At the same time, the browser agent should be able to call the widget's existing API. That way the agent can fetch product details or run the same flows the widget was designed for, without breaking the layout or duplicating logic.

The benefits are clear. Persistent conversation across tabs, context that follows you and navigation that feels seamless. But without new design rules and integration standards, half the web will look broken and trust will lag.

A new layer

The agentic web is more than an add-on. It is a new layer of the internet. Think of it like responsive design in 2010 or HTTPS in 2015. Each was a shift that required new thinking and new conventions. The agentic layer will be similar.

Browsers will need to signal their capabilities. Sites will need to expose structured endpoints. Users will need controls over what agents can see and do. The web has always evolved through cooperation, and this shift will be no different.

The opportunity is clear. Agents that travel with you across sites. Conversations that remember context. Shopping comparisons that run without opening ten tabs. But only if standards emerge and the web adapts quickly enough.