Anthropic's Claude Duet Targets Professional Workflows
The company's new agent is designed to automate business tasks and manage user data, rather than handle personal errands or provide real-time visibility into its operations.
By Ivan Petrov ·
Anthropic has launched Claude Duet, an application it is positioning as an agent for professionals and small businesses. The product is available in a research preview for web users with Pro and Max subscriptions, as well as on iOS and Android, though all potential users must join a waitlist for access.
The release places Anthropic into a market already crowded with assistants, including Meta Muse, OpenAI Dots, Hark, Instinct, Grok Bot, and Fo. The company explicitly distinguishes Duet from agents focused on personal tasks, stating it is not designed to handle errands or book tickets. It also cannot show its browser use as it happens, a feature some competing products offer.
Instead, Anthropic says Duet can build daily briefings, create dashboards, and suggest actions based on a user's data. The application can perform tasks in the background on its own virtual machine and will return to the user for approval when necessary. The company stated that Duet proactively delivers recommendations as it monitors ongoing tasks.
Duet is built on the Claude Opus 5.5 model and can connect to more than 6,000 connectors and plug-ins in the Claude Marketplace. The application can also make online purchases for users through Stripe's Link digital wallet or Shopify's Shop Pay. Anthropic said that any sensitive step, such as a payment, requires user approval.
However, the company specified that Duet will not trade securities or move money between accounts. To address data security, Anthropic released a new classifier designed to check each message. The company said that, by default, the agent would decline requests for credit card numbers and government identification to prevent sensitive information from leaking out.
The launch arrives as the market for AI assistants shifts toward agents that can work on a user's behalf, with many companies focusing on business applications. While Meta's Muse is a personal AI assistant, the company also released a version to cater to small businesses with connections to other apps. OpenAI's Dots has a business slant as well, with its integration with professional tools.
Source: TechCrunch
