Anthropic proposes a new way to connect data to chatbots
Data makes AI work, but getting data into AIs is very hard - but it could be easier if there was a standardised protocol.
Key takeaways
- Anthropic, one of the big names in Artificial Intelligence (AI) development is proposing a new data standard for connecting AI assistants to the systems where data resides.
- Called the Model Context Protocol, or MCP for short, Anthropic says the standard, which it open sourced today, could help AI models produce better, more relevant responses to queries.
- MCP lets models — any models, not just Anthropic’s — easily draw data from sources like business tools and software to complete tasks, as well as from content repositories and app development environments.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2024) 'Anthropic proposes a new way to connect data to chatbots', 311 Institute, 23 December. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/anthropic-proposes-a-new-way-to-connect-data-to-chatbots/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Anthropic, one of the big names in Artificial Intelligence (AI) development is proposing a new data standard for connecting AI assistants to the systems where data resides.
Called the Model Context Protocol, or MCP for short, Anthropic says the standard, which it open sourced today, could help AI models produce better, more relevant responses to queries.
MCP lets models — any models, not just Anthropic’s — easily draw data from sources like business tools and software to complete tasks, as well as from content repositories and app development environments.
“As AI assistants gain mainstream adoption, the industry has invested heavily in model capabilities, achieving rapid advances in reasoning and quality,” Anthropic wrote in a blog post. “Yet even the most sophisticated models are constrained by their isolation from data — trapped behind information silos and legacy systems. Every new data source requires its own custom implementation, making truly connected systems difficult to scale.”
The Future of AI and Data, by Keynote Matthew Griffin
MCP ostensibly solves this problem through a protocol that enables developers to build two-way connections between data sources and AI-powered applications (e.g., chatbots). Developers can expose data through “MCP servers” and build “MCP clients” — for instance, apps and workflows — that connect to those servers on command.
Anthropic says that companies, including Block and Apollo, have already integrated MCP into their systems, while dev tooling firms, including Replit, Codeium, and Sourcegraph, are adding MCP support to their platforms.
“Instead of maintaining separate [data] connectors for each data source, developers can now build against a standard protocol,” Anthropic wrote. “As the ecosystem matures, AI systems will maintain context as they move between different tools and data sets, replacing today’s fragmented integrations with a more sustainable architecture.”
Developers can start building with MCP connectors now, and subscribers to Anthropic’s Claude Enterprise plan can connect the company’s Claude chatbot to their internal systems via MCP servers. Anthropic has shared prebuilt MCP servers for enterprise systems like Google Drive, Slack, and GitHub, and says that it’ll soon provide toolkits for deploying production MCP servers that can serve entire organizations.
“We’re committed to building MCP as a collaborative, open-source project and ecosystem,” Anthropic wrote. “We invite [developers] to build the future of context-aware AI together.”
MCP sounds like a good idea in theory. But it’s far from clear that it’ll gain much traction, particularly among rivals like OpenAI, which would surely prefer that customers and ecosystem partners use their data-connecting approaches and specifications.
In fact, OpenAI recently brought a data-connecting feature to ChatGPT, its AI-powered chatbot platform, that lets ChatGPT read code in dev-focused coding apps - similar to the use cases MCP drives. OpenAI has said that it plans to bring the capability, called Work with Apps, to other types of apps in the future, but it’s pursuing implementations with close partners rather than open sourcing the underlying tech.
It also remains to be seen whether MCP is as beneficial and performant as Anthropic claims it to be. The company says, for example, that MCP can enable an AI bot to “better retrieve relevant information to further understand the context around a coding task,” but the company offers no benchmarks to back up this assertion.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Data makes AI work, but getting data into AIs is very hard - but it could be easier if there was a standardised protocol.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
What future do you need to see?
Choose one to get started on AI and intelligence and the future of your organisation.
Sources and further reading
- Model context protocol anthropic.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 23 December 2024. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2024). Anthropic proposes a new way to connect data to chatbots. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/anthropic-proposes-a-new-way-to-connect-data-to-chatbots/
You are welcome to quote this article with credit and a link to the original.