Unleashing the Power of Model Context Protocol (MCP): A Game-Changer in AI Integration
Artificial Intelligence is evolving rapidly, and one of the most pressing challenges is enabling AI models to interact effectively with external tools, data sources, and APIs. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) solves this problem by acting as a bridge between AI models and external services, creating a standardized communication framework that enhances tool integration, accessibility, and AI reasoning capabilities. What is Model Context Protocol (MCP)? MCP is a protocol designed to enable AI models, such as Azure OpenAI models, to interact seamlessly with external tools and services. Think of MCP as a universal USB-C connector for AI, allowing language models to fetch information, interact with APIs, and execute tasks beyond their built-in knowledge. Key Features of MCP Standardized Communication – MCP provides a structured way for AI models to interact with various tools. Tool Access & Expansion – AI assistants can now utilize external tools for real-time insights. Secure & Scalable – Enables safe and scalable integration with enterprise applications. Multi-Modal Integration – Supports STDIO, SSE (Server-Sent Events), and WebSocket communication methods. MCP Architecture & How It Works MCP follows a client-server architecture that allows AI models to interact with external tools efficiently. Here’s how it works: Components of MCP MCP Host – The AI model (e.g., Azure OpenAI GPT) requesting data or actions. MCP Client – An intermediary service that forwards the AI model's requests to MCP servers. MCP Server – Lightweight applications that expose specific capabilities (APIs, databases, files, etc.). Data Sources – Various backend systems, including local storage, cloud databases, and external APIs. Data Flow in MCP The AI model sends a request (e.g., "fetch user profile data"). The MCP client forwards the request to the appropriate MCP server. The MCP server retrieves the required data from a database or API. The response is sent back to the AI model via the MCP client. Integrating MCP with Azure OpenAI Services Microsoft has integrated MCP with Azure OpenAI Services, allowing GPT models to interact with external services and fetch live data. This means AI models are no longer limited to static knowledge but can access real-time information. Benefits of Azure OpenAI Services + MCP Integration ✔ Real-time Data Fetching – AI assistants can retrieve fresh information from APIs, databases, and internal systems. ✔ Contextual AI Responses – Enhances AI responses by providing accurate, up-to-date information. ✔ Enterprise-Ready – Secure and scalable for business applications, including finance, healthcare, and retail. Hands-On Tools for MCP Implementation To implement MCP effectively, Microsoft provides two powerful tools: Semantic Workbench and AI Gateway. Microsoft Semantic Workbench A development environment for prototyping AI-powered assistants and integrating MCP-based functionalities. Features: Build and test multi-agent AI assistants. Configure settings and interactions between AI models and external tools. Supports GitHub Codespaces for cloud-based development. Explore Semantic Workbench Workbench interface examples Microsoft AI Gateway A plug-and-play interface that allows developers to experiment with MCP using Azure API Management. Features: Credential Manager – Securely handle API credentials. Live Experimentation – Test AI model interactions with external tools. Pre-built Labs – Hands-on learning for developers. Explore AI Gateway Setting Up MCP with Azure OpenAI Services Step 1: Create a Virtual Environment First, create a virtual environment using Python: python -m venv .venv Activate the environment: # Windows venv\Scripts\activate # MacOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate Step 2: Install Required Libraries Create a requirements.txt file and add the following dependencies: langchain-mcp-adapters langgraph langchain-openai Then, install the required libraries: pip install -r requirements.txt Step 3: Set Up OpenAI API Key Ensure you have your OpenAI API key set up: # Windows setx OPENAI_API_KEY "<your_api_key> # MacOS/Linux export OPENAI_API_KEY=<your_api_key> Building an MCP Server This server performs basic mathematical operations like addition and multiplication. Create the Server File First, create a new Python file: touch math_server.py Then, implement the server: from mcp.server.fastmcp import FastMCP # Initialize the server mcp = FastMCP("Math") MCP.tool() def add(a: int, b: int) -> int: return a + b MCP.tool() def multiply(a: int, b: int) -> int: return a * b if __name__ == "__main__": mcp.run(transport="stdio") Your MCP server is now ready to run. Building an MCP Client This client connects to the MCP server and interacts with it. Create the Client File First, create a new file: touch client.py Then, implement the client: import asyncio from mcp import ClientSession, StdioServerParameters from langchain_openai import ChatOpenAI from mcp.client.stdio import stdio_client # Define server parameters server_params = StdioServerParameters( command="python", args=["math_server.py"], ) # Define the model model = ChatOpenAI(model="gpt-4o") async def run_agent(): async with stdio_client(server_params) as (read, write): async with ClientSession(read, write) as session: await session.initialize() tools = await load_mcp_tools(session) agent = create_react_agent(model, tools) agent_response = await agent.ainvoke({"messages": "what's (4 + 6) x 14?"}) return agent_response["messages"][3].content if __name__ == "__main__": result = asyncio.run(run_agent()) print(result) Your client is now set up and ready to interact with the MCP server. Running the MCP Server and Client Step 1: Start the MCP Server Open a terminal and run: python math_server.py This starts the MCP server, making it available for client connections. Step 2: Run the MCP Client In another terminal, run: python client.py Expected Output 140 This means the AI agent correctly computed (4 + 6) x 14 using both the MCP server and GPT-4o. Conclusion Integrating MCP with Azure OpenAI Services enables AI applications to securely interact with external tools, enhancing functionality beyond text-based responses. With standardized communication and improved AI capabilities, developers can build smarter and more interactive AI-powered solutions. By following this guide, you can set up an MCP server and client, unlocking the full potential of AI with structured external interactions. Next Steps: Explore more MCP tools and integrations. Extend your MCP setup to work with additional APIs. Deploy your solution in a cloud environment for broader accessibility. For further details, visit the GitHub repository for MCP integration examples and best practices. MCP GitHub Repository MCP Documentation Semantic Workbench AI Gateway MCP Video Walkthrough MCP Blog MCP Github End to End DemoPower Up Your Open WebUI with Azure AI Speech: Quick STT & TTS Integration
Introduction Ever found yourself wishing your web interface could really talk and listen back to you? With a few clicks (and a bit of code), you can turn your plain Open WebUI into a full-on voice assistant. In this post, you’ll see how to spin up an Azure Speech resource, hook it into your frontend, and watch as user speech transforms into text and your app’s responses leap off the screen in a human-like voice. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a voice-enabled web UI that actually converses with users, opening the door to hands-free controls, better accessibility, and a genuinely richer user experience. Ready to make your web app speak? Let’s dive in. Why Azure AI Speech? We use Azure AI Speech service in Open Web UI to enable voice interactions directly within web applications. This allows users to: Speak commands or input instead of typing, making the interface more accessible and user-friendly. Hear responses or information read aloud, which improves usability for people with visual impairments or those who prefer audio. Provide a more natural and hands-free experience especially on devices like smartphones or tablets. In short, integrating Azure AI Speech service into Open Web UI helps make web apps smarter, more interactive, and easier to use by adding speech recognition and voice output features. If you haven’t hosted Open WebUI already, follow my other step-by-step guide to host Ollama WebUI on Azure. Proceed to the next step if you have Open WebUI deployed already. Learn More about OpenWeb UI here. Deploy Azure AI Speech service in Azure. Navigate to the Azure Portal and search for Azure AI Speech on the Azure portal search bar. Create a new Speech Service by filling up the fields in the resource creation page. Click on “Create” to finalize the setup. After the resource has been deployed, click on “View resource” button and you should be redirected to the Azure AI Speech service page. The page should display the API Keys and Endpoints for Azure AI Speech services, which you can use in Open Web UI. Settings things up in Open Web UI Speech to Text settings (STT) Head to the Open Web UI Admin page > Settings > Audio. Paste the API Key obtained from the Azure AI Speech service page into the API key field below. Unless you use different Azure Region, or want to change the default configurations for the STT settings, leave all settings to blank. Text to Speech settings (TTS) Now, let's proceed with configuring the TTS Settings on OpenWeb UI by toggling the TTS Engine to Azure AI Speech option. Again, paste the API Key obtained from Azure AI Speech service page and leave all settings to blank. You can change the TTS Voice from the dropdown selection in the TTS settings as depicted in the image below: Click Save to reflect the change. Expected Result Now, let’s test if everything works well. Open a new chat / temporary chat on Open Web UI and click on the Call / Record button. The STT Engine (Azure AI Speech) should identify your voice and provide a response based on the voice input. To test the TTS feature, click on the Read Aloud (Speaker Icon) under any response from Open Web UI. The TTS Engine should reflect Azure AI Speech service! Conclusion And that’s a wrap! You’ve just given your Open WebUI the gift of capturing user speech, turning it into text, and then talking right back with Azure’s neural voices. Along the way you saw how easy it is to spin up a Speech resource in the Azure portal, wire up real-time transcription in the browser, and pipe responses through the TTS engine. From here, it’s all about experimentation. Try swapping in different neural voices or dialing in new languages. Tweak how you start and stop listening, play with silence detection, or add custom pronunciation tweaks for those tricky product names. Before you know it, your interface will feel less like a web page and more like a conversation partner.Create Stunning AI Videos with Sora on Azure AI Foundry!
Special credit to Rory Preddy for creating the GitHub resource that enable us to learn more about Azure Sora. Reach him out on LinkedIn to say thanks. Introduction Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing content creation, and video generation is at the forefront of this transformation. OpenAI's Sora, a groundbreaking text-to-video model, allows creators to generate high-quality videos from simple text prompts. When paired with the powerful infrastructure of Azure AI Foundry, you can harness Sora's capabilities with scalability and efficiency, whether on a local machine or a remote setup. In this blog post, I’ll walk you through the process of generating AI videos using Sora on Azure AI Foundry. We’ll cover the setup for both local and remote environments. Requirements: Azure AI Foundry with sora model access A Linux Machine/VM. Make sure that the machine already has the package below: Java JRE 17 (Recommended) OR later Maven Step Zero – Deploying the Azure Sora model on AI Foundry Navigate to the Azure AI Foundry portal and head to the “Models + Endpoints” section (found on the left side of the Azure AI Foundry portal) > Click on the “Deploy Model” button > “Deploy base model” > Search for Sora > Click on “Confirm”. Give a deployment name and specify the Deployment type > Click “Deploy” to finalize the configuration. You should receive an API endpoint and Key after successful deploying Sora on Azure AI Foundry. Store these in a safe place because we will be using them in the next steps. Step one – Setting up the Sora Video Generator in the local/remote machine. Clone the roryp/sora repository on your machine by running the command below: git clone https://github.com/roryp/sora.git cd sora Then, edit the application.properties file in the src/main/resources/ folder to include your Azure OpenAI Credentials. Change the configuration below: azure.openai.endpoint=https://your-openai-resource.cognitiveservices.azure.com azure.openai.api-key=your_api_key_here If port 8080 is used for another application, and you want to change the port for which the web app will run, change the “server.port” configuration to include the desired port. Allow appropriate permissions to run the “mvnw” script file. chmod +x mvnw Run the application ./mvnw spring-boot:run Open your browser and type in your localhost/remote host IP (format: [host-ip:port]) in the browser search bar. If you are running a remote host, please do not forget to update your firewall/NSG to allow inbound connection to the configured port. You should see the web app to generate video with Sora AI using the API provided on Azure AI Foundry. Now, let’s generate a video with Sora Video Generator. Enter a prompt in the first text field, choose the video pixel resolution, and set the video duration. (Due to technical limitation, Sora can only generate video of a maximum of 20 seconds). Click on the “Generate video” button to proceed. The cost to generate the video should be displayed below the “Generate Video” button, for transparency purposes. You can click on the “View Breakdown” button to learn more about the cost breakdown. The video should be ready to download after a maximum of 5 minutes. You can check the status of the video by clicking on the “Check Status” button on the web app. The web app will inform you once the download is ready and the page should refresh every 10 seconds to fetch real-time update from Sora. Once it is ready, click on the “Download Video” button to download the video. Conclusion Generating AI videos with Sora on Azure AI Foundry is a game-changer for content creators, marketers, and developers. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can set up your environment, integrate Sora, and start creating stunning AI-generated videos. Experiment with different prompts, optimize your workflow, and let your imagination run wild! Have you tried generating AI videos with Sora or Azure AI Foundry? Share your experiences or questions in the comments below. Don’t forget to subscribe for more AI and cloud computing tutorials!Configure Embedding Models on Azure AI Foundry with Open Web UI
Introduction Let’s take a closer look at an exciting development in the AI space. Embedding models are the key to transforming complex data into usable insights, driving innovations like smarter chatbots and tailored recommendations. With Azure AI Foundry, Microsoft’s powerful platform, you’ve got the tools to build and scale these models effortlessly. Add in Open Web UI, a intuitive interface for engaging with AI systems, and you’ve got a winning combo that’s hard to beat. In this article, we’ll explore how embedding models on Azure AI Foundry, paired with Open Web UI, are paving the way for accessible and impactful AI solutions for developers and businesses. Let’s dive in! To proceed with configuring the embedding model from Azure AI Foundry on Open Web UI, please firstly configure the requirements below. Requirements: Setup Azure AI Foundry Hub/Projects Deploy Open Web UI – refer to my previous article on how you can deploy Open Web UI on Azure VM. Optional: Deploy LiteLLM with Azure AI Foundry models to work on Open Web UI - refer to my previous article on how you can do this as well. Deploying Embedding Models on Azure AI Foundry Navigate to the Azure AI Foundry site and deploy an embedding model from the “Model + Endpoint” section. For the purpose of this demonstration, we will deploy the “text-embedding-3-large” model by OpenAI. You should be receiving a URL endpoint and API Key to the embedding model deployed just now. Take note of that credential because we will be using it in Open Web UI. Configuring the embedding models on Open Web UI Now head to the Open Web UI Admin Setting Page > Documents and Select Azure Open AI as the Embedding Model Engine. Copy and Paste the Base URL, API Key, the Embedding Model deployed on Azure AI Foundry and the API version (not the model version) into the fields below: Click “Save” to reflect the changes. Expected Output Now let us look into the scenario for when the embedding model configured on Open Web UI and when it is not. Without Embedding Models configured. With Azure Open AI Embedding models configured. Conclusion And there you have it! Embedding models on Azure AI Foundry, combined with the seamless interaction offered by Open Web UI, are truly revolutionizing how we approach AI solutions. This powerful duo not only simplifies the process of building and deploying intelligent systems but also makes cutting-edge technology more accessible to developers and businesses of all sizes. As we move forward, it’s clear that such integrations will continue to drive innovation, breaking down barriers and unlocking new possibilities in the AI landscape. So, whether you’re a seasoned developer or just stepping into this exciting field, now’s the time to explore what Azure AI Foundry and Open Web UI can do for you. Let’s keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible!Step-by-Step Tutorial: Building an AI Agent Using Azure AI Foundry
This blog post provides a comprehensive tutorial on building an AI agent using Azure AI Agent service and the Azure AI Foundry portal. AI agents represent a powerful new paradigm in application development, offering a more intuitive and dynamic way to interact with software. They can understand natural language, reason about user requests, and take actions to fulfill those requests. This tutorial will guide you through the process of creating and deploying an intelligent agent on Azure. We'll cover setting up an Azure AI Foundry hub, crafting effective instructions to define the agent's behavior, including recognizing user intent, processing requests, and generating helpful responses. We'll also discuss testing the agent's conversational abilities and provide additional resources for expanding your knowledge of AI agents and the Azure AI ecosystem. This hands-on guide is perfect for anyone looking to explore the practical application of Azure's conversational AI capabilities and build intelligent virtual assistants. Join us as we dive into the exciting world of AI agents.Unlocking the Power of AI Agents: An Introductory Guide - Part 1
This blog post introduces Microsoft's "AI Agents for Beginners" course and its accompanying GitHub repository, offering a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning about agentic AI. The course covers fundamental concepts, different types of agents, design patterns, and practical frameworks for building intelligent agents. Whether you're a beginner, intermediate learner, or advanced developer, this free resource provides a comprehensive learning experience, empowering you to create AI systems that can reason, plan, and act autonomously. The post also highlights additional resources, including links to Azure AI Agent Service, Semantic Kernel, AutoGen, and the Azure AI Discord community. Embark on your agentic AI journey today and discover the future of intelligent applications.Unleashing the Power of AI Agents: Transforming Business Operations
Let "Get Started with AI Agents," in this short blog I want explore the evolution, capabilities, and applications of AI agents, highlighting their potential to enhance productivity and efficiency. We take a peak into the challenges of developing AI agents and introduce powerful tools like Azure AI Foundry and Azure AI Agent Service that empower developers to build, deploy, and scale AI agents securely and efficiently. In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, the integration of AI agents into business processes is becoming increasingly essential. Lets delve into the transformative potential of AI agents and how they can revolutionize various aspects of our operations. We begin by exploring the evolution of LLM-based solutions, tracing the journey from no agents to sophisticated multi-agent systems. This progression highlights the growing complexity and capabilities of AI agents, which are now poised to handle wide-scope, complex use cases requiring diverse skills. Lets now look at agentic AI capabilities. AI agents can significantly enhance employee productivity and process efficiency, making our operations faster and more effective. Lets examine the key applications of AI agents across industries, such as travel booking and expense management, employee onboarding, personalized customer support, and data analytics and reporting. However, developing AI agents is not without its challenges. Some of the primary considerations, including tool integration, interoperability, scalability, real-time processing, maintenance, flexibility, error handling, and security. These challenges underscore the need for robust platforms that enable rapid development and secure deployment of AI agents. To this end, we introduce Azure AI Foundry and Azure AI Agent Service. These tools empower developers to build, deploy, and scale AI agents securely and efficiently. Azure AI Foundry offers a comprehensive suite of tools, including model catalogs, content safety features, and machine learning capabilities. The Azure AI Agent Service, currently in public preview, provides flexible model selection, extensive data connections, enterprise-grade security, and rapid development and automation capabilities. When building multi agent or agentic based systems there is a huge importance of multi-agent orchestration. Tools like AutoGen and Semantic Kernel facilitate the orchestration of multi-agent systems, enabling seamless integration and collaboration between different AI agents. In conclusion, the transformative potential of AI agents in driving productivity, efficiency, and innovation. By leveraging the capabilities of Azure AI Foundry and Azure AI Agent Service, we can overcome the challenges of AI agent development and unlock new opportunities for growth and success. Resources Azure AI Discord - https://aka.ms/AzureAI/Discord Global AI community - https://globalai.community Generative AI for beginners – https://aka.ms/genai-beginners AI Agents for beginners - https://aka.ms/ai-agents-beginners Attend one of the Global AI Bootcamp near you - https://globalai.community/bootcamp/ Build AI Tour open content - https://aka.ms/aitour/repos Build your first Agent with Azure AI Agent Service - Slide deck and code - https://github.com/microsoft/aitour-build-your-first-agent-with-azure-ai-agent-service
