The generative AI revolution has unlocked unprecedented capabilities, but the next frontier is agency: empowering models to interact with, query, and act upon the world. The current challenge is the “N x M integration problem,” where every AI model requires a custom, brittle integration for each external tool or data source. This approach simply doesn’t scale. How can we give an AI access to our sales leads, code repositories, or IoT devices in a standardized, secure, and reusable way?

This session introduces Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP), the open-source framework designed to solve this challenge and become the universal connector—the USB-C port—for AI. MCP standardizes how AI models discover and use external tools, moving beyond simple function-calling to a robust, client-server architecture. We will dive into how this open protocol is creating a new ecosystem for building powerful, context-aware AI agents.

Join this session for a developer-focused introduction where you will learn how to:

Understand the core concepts of the open-source Model Context Protocol and its architecture.

Utilize pre-built, open-source MCP servers to instantly connect AI to tools like Git, Slack, and databases.

Build a custom MCP server to securely expose your own proprietary data and APIs as tools for any compliant AI.

Move beyond bespoke integrations and contribute to a standardized, collaborative, and open ecosystem.

Stop building one-off connectors and start building intelligent agents. This session will give you the practical knowledge to leverage MCP and create the next generation of AI that doesn’t just talk, but does.