Industrial AI Podcast Industrial Communication: MCP and A2A for the shopfloor?
Apr 23, 2025
Collin Masson, Director of Research at ARC Advisory Group, dives into the rapid evolution of industrial AI. He discusses the crucial Model Context Protocol (MCP) and its role in contextualizing factory data for better AI model selection. The conversation also highlights advancements in AI frameworks and the need for standardized communication protocols to enhance security in industrial communications. Moreover, Masson emphasizes the benefits of open-source collaborations in agent communication, pushing against misconceptions that generative AI is a catch-all solution.
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MCP's Contextual AI Access Power
- Model Context Protocol (MCP) standardizes AI tools' access to contextual data, crucial for manufacturing's heterogeneous environments.
- MCP supports using the right AI model for each task safely and predictably in industrial settings.
Agentic AI Needs MCP Extensions
- The emerging agentic AI relies on MCP as a foundation but requires extensions for secure multi-agent collaboration.
- Google's A2A extensions enable agents to communicate, coordinate tasks, and support human approval loops in industrial AI.
Secure MCP for Industry
- Developers must address MCP's initial identity and security issues before broad industrial deployment.
- Fixes are underway, but securing context data passages is critical to prevent industrial data abuse.