The Model Context Protocol is an open standard, introduced by Anthropic in November 2024, for connecting AI models to the tools, data, and systems they need to be useful. The easiest way to understand it is through the metaphor most people in the space now reach for: MCP is "USB-C for AI." Before USB-C, plugging a device into a computer meant hunting for the right proprietary cable. MCP solves the equivalent problem for AI — before it existed, every AI application that wanted to talk to an exter...