AI as a Bridge to the Outside World: The Rise of MCP Technology and Its Applications in the Web3 Domain

The development of artificial intelligence has brought tremendous productivity improvements to humanity, but currently, large language models still have many limitations. Users need to engage in repeated conversations to obtain useful suggestions, and they must personally execute the AI's recommendations. This still falls short of the vision of truly leveraging AI to assist us in our work.

However, if tasks such as replying to emails, writing reports, and even automating cryptocurrency trading can be completed directly on the computer through conversations with AI, we will be closer to the goal of liberating productivity. This is precisely what the current MCP technology, which is receiving a lot of attention in the AI field, aims to achieve.

Introduction to MCP

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standardized protocol aimed at addressing the issue where AI models can only "speak" but cannot "act". It was released by Anthropic in November 2024.

The core concept of MCP is: through unified standards, enabling AI not only to have conversations but also to directly manipulate external tools to complete various tasks. This stands in stark contrast to traditional large language models like ChatGPT, which are limited to text input and output.

With MCP, AI can read local files, connect to remote databases, and even directly manipulate specific network services. This means that AI is no longer limited to text output, but is capable of replacing humans in completing many repetitive or procedural tasks.

How MCP Works

The MCP system mainly consists of three key components:

1. MCP Host (Administrator): Responsible for the overall coordination and management of MCP operations.
2. MCP Client: Receives user requests and communicates with the AI model.
3. MCP Server: Provides a range of AI callable function APIs.

Through this architecture, AI is able to understand human language and convert specific textual instructions into concrete operational actions, thereby achieving automated operations.

Importance of MCP

1. Bridging AI with external tools: overcoming the limitations of traditional language models that rely solely on pre-trained data.

2. Standardization and Universality: The existence of something like USB-C provides a unified specification for different developers, avoiding redundant development.

3. From passive response to active execution: AI can decide to execute instructions based on real-time conditions and adjust subsequent actions according to feedback.

4. Security and Control: Control data access through permission management and API key management to protect sensitive information.

Comparison between MCP and AI Agent

MCP is a protocol, while AI Agent is a concept or execution method. MCP focuses on standardizing communication between different AI models and external tools, whereas AI Agent emphasizes the proactive capabilities of AI.

MCP provides a more efficient operating environment for AI Agents. With MCP, AI Agents only need to follow a unified standard to obtain available tools from the "Server list" and make dynamic decisions on which tools to use to complete tasks.

The MCP Concept Project in the Web3 Field

1. Base MCP: A framework developed by Base that allows users to deploy smart contracts and use DeFi services through natural language conversations.

2. Flock: A decentralized AI training platform that provides Web3 proxy models, enabling AI-driven blockchain tasks to run locally.

3. LYRAOS: A multi-AI Agent operating system that allows AI Agents to interact directly with the Solana blockchain, executing cryptocurrency transactions and other operations.

Outlook

Although MCP has great potential in the Web3 field, there are still limited success cases at present. The main challenges include the complexity of technology integration, security and regulatory risks, user experience issues, and market fatigue towards AI projects.

In the future, the integration of MCP and blockchain needs to overcome technical barriers and market pressures. If more mature security mechanisms can be integrated, an intuitive user experience can be created, and truly valuable innovative applications can be developed, "Web3 + MCP" is expected to break through the limitations of hype topics and become the main player in a new round of technological innovation.