Do you need help & advice with AI & Automation?
Yes, and the thing that makes it work is called MCP, model context protocol. It’s one of the AI terms you’ll start hearing, so here’s what it is and why you should care, in under a minute.
What is MCP, in plain English?
Model context protocol is basically what enables artificial intelligence to talk to your back-end systems. It means your AI understands how to talk to the back end of your applications, so it can actually use them.
Traditionally, software talks to other software through something called an API, an application programming interface. MCP is the newer way for AI to do it.
Why should a business owner care?
Because you can just ask AI stuff, and it will understand how to use the tool. Say you want it to work with your accounting software or your CRM. With model context protocol, it knows how to use that tool without having to guess each time it uses it. So it’s much, much more efficient.
If you want to know whether the software you already use can be connected to AI, and what’s worth connecting first, that’s a good conversation to have before anyone starts building. The what to automate first guide is a good place to start, and if you’re wondering where this leads, read AI agents: what they are and whether your business should use one.
This is part of a short series on AI terminology for business owners. More on getting started with AI in your business.
Last reviewed: 4 October 2026.
