Why Standards Bodies Should Pay Attention to the Model Context Protocol (MCP)

Every week brings another AI breakthrough promising to change how we live and work. Some fade, others stick—but one of the newest developments, the Model Context Protocol (MCP), holds real promise for standards development organizations (SDOs) and regulatory bodies. What is MCP? Think of MCP as the USB-C of AI, it is has a standard input and output that enables different machines to connect.It’s an open-source framework that allows large language models and AI tools to access and exchange structured context—things like decision history, relevant documents, user preferences, and jurisdictional differences. Instead of fragmented systems that don’t “talk” to each other, MCP provides a standardized way for AI to operate with awareness.