API standards: foundational for agentic AI

Bill Doerrfeld | January 27, 2026

Watch the latest LiveCast on API Standards for AI Agents

I recently moderated a webinar that brought together three luminaries in the API community to discuss the importance of API standards in agentic AI development.


Kin Lane, Lorna Mitchell, and Kevin Swiber joined me to explore why API standards are so crucial for AI agents. We took questions from the audience and dug into a lot of practical wisdom, from designing spec-first APIs to the interplay between the OpenAPI Initiative and MCP, along with other standards developments worth watching.


The key takeaway is that the core web and open standards we have long relied on, including OpenAPI, JSON Schema, AsyncAPI, OAuth, OpenID Connect, and others, are foundational in this new era of AI agent tool calling.


The full hour-long discussion is now available on the Nordic APIs YouTube channel.

Watch: LiveCast: API Standards for AI Agents

Tips and tricks to reduce MCP token bloat

By Bill Doerrfeld • February 5, 2026
MCP servers can quickly drain context windows without guardrails. Thankfully, there are ways around this, say the experts.

The state of AI agents in finance

By Bill Doerrfeld • February 4, 2026
It may seem like AI agents are suddenly doing everything across industries. But in reality, the pace of agentic AI is moving carefully, and very deliberately, in highly regulated environments like finance and banking.

Should AI agents scrape or integrate external data?

By Bill Doerrfeld • February 3, 2026
My latest feature for InfoWorld explores when it makes sense to scrape public web sources, and when official API integrations are the better choice for external data.

Going nano with software updates

By Bill Doerrfeld • January 30, 2026
What does it mean to go nano with your software updates — to "carve with a scalpel" instead of swinging a hammer? For my latest DirectorPlus piece, I caught up with Chainguard VP Dustin Kirkland to dig into that idea.

Reviewing Port of Context (pctx)

By Bill Doerrfeld • January 26, 2026
The more folks use MCP servers in development, the more they’re realizing it can lead to runaway token usage, unpredictable response sizes, and flooded context windows.

Are all developers equally productive with AI? Not quite.

By Bill Doerrfeld • January 20, 2026
Who really benefits from AI coding tools? New research suggests AI amplifies existing top performers more than average developers. Read my post on LeadDev.

Edge AI becomes more important for inference

By Bill Doerrfeld • January 19, 2026
Many say edge computing will enable the future of AI inference. For InfoWorld, I looked at the tech required, and the roadblocks to overcome to get us there.

Developers are confident on the future of MCP

By Bill Doerrfeld • January 15, 2026
Survey data from Zuplo finds rising MCP adoption, security concerns, and shows how developers are using MCP servers to connect AI with APIs in 2026.

Lessons learned from 6 overhyped tech trends

By Bill Doerrfeld • January 5, 2026
Blockchain for everything, metaverse, big data, NFTs... In hindsight, what were we thinking? Today, I call out some of tech's biggest overhyped trends on InfoWorld.

What is agentic metadata?

By Bill Doerrfeld • January 5, 2026
Like any production software application, AI agents are producing a spectrum of metadata behind the scenes. Some are calling agentic metadata a “gold mine” to direct continual improvements.