Anthropic's MCP becomes the common plug for AI agents
The gist
Anthropic introduced Model Context Protocol in November 2024 as an open standard linking AI systems to external tools and data.
Adoption by OpenAI and travel, delivery and trading platforms shows it is becoming the default connector.
How it unfolded
- Nov 2024Anthropic introduces the Model Context Protocol, an open standard for connecting AI systems to external tools and data.
- Mar 2025OpenAI adopts MCP.
- Dec 23, 2025MCP is described as an open standard letting AI access and interpret travel business data, with Booking.com, Expedia, Turkish Airlines, Amadeus and Sabre adopting it.
Key terms
- Model Context Protocol
- An open standard and open-source framework that standardizes how AI systems connect to and share data with external tools and sources.
- AI agents
- A software entity that perceives its environment and acts autonomously to achieve goals, often improving through learning.
- open standard
- A standard that is openly accessible and usable by anyone, often with an open license and open participation.
Source: Wikipedia