Out of the box, an AI assistant like Claude or ChatGPT only knows what you type into the chat. It cannot see your calendar, your files, your analytics or your email. MCP is the plug that changes that.
MCP is a shared standard for connecting AI assistants to other software. Think of it like a standardised power plug. Before standard plugs, every device needed its own socket. With a standard, anything can connect to anything. MCP does the same for AI: one common way for an assistant to connect to Canva, Slack, a database, your analytics, or almost any other tool.
Anthropic (the company behind Claude) introduced it in late 2024, and it has since been adopted widely across the industry, including by competitors.
Why you keep hearing it
Because connections are where AI gets genuinely useful for work. A chat assistant that can only talk is a brainstorming partner. An assistant connected to your actual tools can pull your campaign numbers, check your calendar, and update your documents. When a tool announces "MCP support", it means AI assistants can now plug into it.
What it means for you
You never need to touch MCP directly. But when you see it mentioned, translate it as: "this tool can be connected to your AI assistant." The more of your tools speak MCP, the more real work your assistant can do for you.