It was calm and quiet—until things get pretty much out of hand.
When OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, it created astonishment and demand that quickly reshaped the global AI landscape. Realizing the immense potential and profitability of this space, competitors raced to create their own products to rival or even surpass ChatGPT.
Among the big players in the Large Language Model race, is Anthropic.
At first, Anthropic is like others, which contended the race by offering similar services. But overtime, Anthropic began striving to set itself apart.
Anthropic took a bold step in this direction, becoming the first to equip a Large Language Model with the ability to use a computer much like a human would, for example.
This time, its open-sourcing the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a new standard for connecting AI assistants to the systems where data lives, including content repositories, business tools, and development environments.
Introducing the Model Context Protocol (MCP)
An open standard we've been working on at Anthropic that solves a core challenge with LLM apps - connecting them to your data.
No more building custom integrations for every data source. MCP provides one protocol to connect them all: pic.twitter.com/kYsivQyPDq— Alex Albert (@alexalbert__) November 25, 2024
On a webpage on its website, Anthropic said that:
"MCP addresses this challenge. It provides a universal, open standard for connecting AI systems with data sources, replacing fragmented integrations with a single protocol. The result is a simpler, more reliable way to give AI systems access to the data they need."
The proposed standard is designed to improve the relevance and quality of AI responses by allowing models to access data directly from various sources.
These include business tools, content repositories, and development environments.
By bridging the gap between AI models and the systems where critical data resides, MCP enables AI to perform tasks more effectively, ensuring the information provided is both accurate and contextually appropriate.
Anthropic believes that this approach will set a new benchmark for AI integration, fostering greater efficiency in applications ranging from business workflows to software development.
This open-source initiative is expected to encourage adoption and innovation across industries, as organizations look for more seamless ways to integrate AI into their ecosystems.
Here, Anthropic introduces three major components of this MCP for developers:
- The Model Context Protocol specification and SDKs.
- Local MCP server support in the Claude Desktop apps.
- An open-source repository of MCP servers.
Because the idea is to make something for the masses, Anthropic said that it's "committed to building MCP as a collaborative, open-source project and ecosystem."