Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google are joining forces big-time to increase artificial intelligence interoperability. They’ve promised to support a public Alternative to their forthcoming Model Connection Protocol (MCP) championed by Anthropic. Specifically, this protocol allows developers to set up two-way flows of information between different data sources and AI-enabled applications, like chatbots. These tech behemoths are collaborating to improve how AI models connect with relevant data. This partnership will provide a giant leap in operability for AI applications.
The MCP protocol further empowers AI models to unlock the potential of connecting with multiple data sources. This provides developers the power to easily incorporate a wide range of capabilities into their apps. Microsoft meanwhile is on a mission to make it more valuable. That includes things like Windows system features (the File System, Windowing and the Windows Subsystem for Linux) into MCP servers. This integration will allow AI models to seamlessly interact with Microsoft’s large ecosystem.
As Kyle Wiggers wrote yesterday, it’s a promising sign that both OpenAI and Google have publicly come out in favor of the MCP standard. Their support marks a deeper industry appreciation for the protocol’s capabilities to enhance connectivity between AI models to foster data sharing and reuse.
“Developers will be able to wrap desired features and capabilities in their apps as MCP servers and make them available for Windows,” – Microsoft.
The responses to MCP among these major players will lay the groundwork for many more sophisticated and useful AI applications to come. Chatbots, for example, are enhanced by the protocol’s capacity to support more dynamic, two-way exchanges with data providers. This new ability significantly increases the responsiveness of chatbots. Second, it helps them to shape and provide the most accurate, relevant, and useful information to users.
AI is moving so fast. With influential companies coming together in support of the MCP standard, we see a dynamic and powerful trend toward collaboration within the tech industry. These groups are working to spur innovation by establishing how AI models should interface with various data sources. Through these efforts, they hope to build a more collaborative AI environment.