World's Fair 2025
A2A & MCP Workshop: Automating Business Processes with LLMs — Damien Murphy, Bench
Overview
This talk explores the automation of business processes using Large Language Models (LLMs) through two key protocols: A2A (Agent-to-Agent) and MCP (Model Context Protocol). A2A facilitates communication between remote agents, enabling specialization and parallel processing, while MCP acts as a standardized interface for agents to access context and tools, akin to a USB-C for AI. The workshop demonstrates how to integrate these protocols to build multi-agent systems triggered by webhooks, automating tasks like bug reporting and information dissemination.
Who should watch
- AI Engineers
- Product Managers
- Builders looking to automate business processes with LLMs
- Developers interested in agent communication protocols
Key takeaways
- A2A enables agent specialization and task delegation by allowing agents to communicate over the web, even with unknown third-party agents.
- MCP provides a standardized interface for agents to access a vast ecosystem of tools (e.g., via Zapier) and context without direct API integration.
- Combining A2A and MCP allows for complex workflows where remote agents can leverage external tools and context.
- When building agent systems, consider using local function calls if you have full control over agents and tools, as it simplifies development and debugging.
- Third-party tools are a primary driver for using MCP, offering extensibility beyond custom-built integrations.
- Context management is crucial; sub-agents can help isolate context, reducing the load on the main agent and managing costs.
- The Genkit framework, combined with specific plugins, can facilitate the integration of A2A and MCP protocols.
- Security considerations for A2A and MCP involve authentication, authorization, and potentially running LLMs within a Virtual Private Cloud for highly regulated environments.
Notable quotes
MCP is like a USBC for, you know, all of your agents to be able to consume context and tools and resources very easily.
A2A is more about remote agents, right? So agents you have no knowledge of.
Third party tools is probably the number one reason to use MCP.
Unofficial community note. Prefer the recording for nuance.