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Right, but we would have had them even if MCP did not exist. The need to access those APIs via LLM-based "agents" would have existed without MCP.

At work I built an LLM-based system that invoke tools. We started before MCP existed, and just used APIs (and continue to do so).

Its engineering value is nil, it only has marketing value (at best).

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As https://www.stainless.com/blog/mcp-is-eating-the-world--and-... recaps, tool calling existed before MCP, some vague standards existed, nothing took off, no really normal users don't want to just download the OpenAPI spec.

Anthropic wants to define another standard now btw https://www.anthropic.com/engineering/desktop-extensions

Normal users don't know what MCP is and will never use an MCP server (knowingly or unknowingly) in their life. They use ChatGPT through the web UI or the mobile app, that's it.

MCP is for technical users.

(Maybe read the link you sent, it has nothing to do with defining a new standard)

Normal users will increasingly use MCP servers without even knowing they do so - it will be their apps. And having e.g. your music player or your email client light up in the ChatGPT app as something that you can tell it to automate is not just for technical users.

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