Is MCP becoming the common foundation of smart, decentralised search?
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is presented as a decentralized alternative to traditional search engines, allowing AI assistants to fetch real-time data directly from publishers. By standardizing how AI tools interact with external servers, MCP aims to reduce reliance on static training data and centralized indexes.
Why it matters
This protocol could fundamentally change how information is indexed and retrieved, shifting power from search engine monopolies to decentralized data providers.
Tony, creator of Contexte Tech · October 17, 2026
We search less and less with a list of links, and more and more by asking an AI assistant a question. But where does the answer come from? Often from the model’s memory, frozen at its training date, with no source and no licence. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) changes this: the assistant fetches the information directly from those who publish it.
MCP is an open protocol that lets an AI assistant call tools provided by a server: search, read a resource, fill in a text template. The same server works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code and any assistant that speaks MCP: you write the tool once and it works everywhere.
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