Agentic AI Plumbing
In the rapidly evolving landscape of Agentic AI (systems where AI agents take autonomous actions), these five acronyms represent the "new plumbing" of the internet. They are open-source protocols that allow different AI agents, tools, and businesses to talk to each other, negotiate, and even spend money securely. Here is the breakdown of the agentic AI stack: 1. MCP (Model Context Protocol) Role: The "USB-C" of AI. What it does: Developed by Anthropic (and adopted by Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft), MCP allows an AI model to safely "plug in" to your data and tools. Example: Instead of writing custom code to let an agent read your Google Drive or Slack, you use an MCP server. It provides the context (data) and tools (capabilities) the agent needs to work. 2. A2A (Agent-to-Agent Protocol) Role: The "Common Language" for agents. What it does: Launched by Google and now part of the Linux Foundation, A2A defines how one AI agent talks to anoth...