Every week brings another AI breakthrough promising to change how we live and work. Some fade, others stick—but one of the newest developments, the Model Context Protocol (MCP), holds real promise for standards development organizations (SDOs) and regulatory bodies.
What is MCP?
Think of MCP as the USB-C of AI, it is has a standard input and output that enables different machines to connect.
It’s an open-source framework that allows large language models and AI tools to access and exchange structured context—things like decision history, relevant documents, user preferences, and jurisdictional differences. Instead of fragmented systems that don’t “talk” to each other, MCP provides a standardized way for AI to operate with awareness.,
Why it matters for standards and regulations
Standards development is already shifting toward digital-first processes. But standards and regulations are so complex that even humans struggle to understand these large swathes of information.
AI is increasingly used to draft and review standards, but today’s models often work in isolation, without understanding the intent behind a clause or the evolution of a working group’s discussions.
MCP changes that. By enabling AI systems to share context, it ensures continuity and consistency across the entire standards lifecycle. That means:
Efficiency: Less manual work, faster timelines, and greater alignment among committee members.
Collaboration: AI agents can work together, flagging conflicts across standards or monitoring emerging regulations.
Future-readiness: As standards move beyond static PDFs into machine-readable formats consumed directly by software and compliance tools, MCP provides the connective tissue to keep everything up to date and context-aware.
The Strategic Opportunity
For SDOs and regulators, MCP isn’t just another technical layer—it’s a strategic enabler. It helps ensure that standards remain authoritative, interoperable, and actionable in an increasingly digital world.
The future of standards is not just about what’s written, but how it’s understood, managed, and applied. MCP is a critical step in that journey.
