Expanding MCP into a Foundation for a "Second Internet" for AI

[bizrockman]

Pre-submission Checklist

• I have verified this would not be more appropriate as a feature request in a specific repository
• I have searched existing discussions to avoid duplicates

Your Idea

Introduction
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) offers a framework for integrating LLMs with external data sources and tools. Its standardized approach is a step toward more efficient and seamless interactions between AI models and the data they need.

However, I believe MCP has the potential to grow beyond its current scope without losing its focus. I'd like to pitch a broader vision for MCP: becoming the foundation for a "second internet" tailored to AI. Becaise more and more agents are using the Web and the challenge will be to provide the proper context as long as AI is not able to dinguish between data and noise.

The Idea
The original internet was designed for human consumption—webpages, multimedia, and interactions optimized for human understanding. But with the rise of AI, there is an increasing need for a parallel infrastructure that:

Prioritizes machine-readable content over human-readable formats.
Provides standardized and contextualized data access for AI models.
Supports monetization mechanisms for data providers, incentivizing high-quality data sharing.

MCP could evolve into this foundational protocol by:

Acting as the backbone for an ecosystem of AI-optimized data sources.
Facilitating seamless integration with micropayment systems (e.g., blockchain) to reward data providers.
Offering enhanced contextualization and interoperability features beyond what traditional API gateways provide.

How MCP Differentiates Itself
A common question might be: "How does MCP differ from an API gateway?"

MCP is context-driven, not just API-focused. It delivers data tailored to the specific requirements of LLMs, minimizing overhead.
MCP can integrate micropayment mechanisms to create a sustainable ecosystem for data providers and consumers.
MCP could establish standards for semantic interoperability among data sources, ensuring LLMs can make sense of diverse datasets effortlessly.

Potential Use Case
Imagine an ecosystem where researchers, organizations, and even individuals can make their data accessible via MCP. Like Blog was used to make ideas acceaaible to Humans. LLMs could query these datasets contextually while the data providers are compensated in real-time through an integrated payment system. What was an idea in the early days of the Internet with links.

For example:

A proprietary medical dataset becomes available for AI-driven healthcare assistants.
A public knowledge base becomes a source for AI-powered learning tools.

Discussion Points

Would expanding MCP into a broader protocol for AI data consumption fit within its scope?
if yes:
   How could a payment mechanism (e.g., blockchain) be incorporated without complicating the protocol?
   Should MCP focus on being the backbone of a "second internet" for AI, or remain specialized in integration?

This proposal aims to spark a discussion about MCP’s potential to go beyond its current focus and become a foundational part of a new infrastructure optimized for AI. I'd love to hear the community’s thoughts, ideas, and concerns regarding this vision.

Scope

• Protocol Specification
• SDK Features
• Documentation
• Developer Experience
• Other

[jspahrsummers]

Can you share a bit more about what concretely you think this might look like? In which ways do you see the current spec as inadequate or needing to change?