Anthropic's new Cowork tool offers Claude coding help to non-experts

(Image credit: Anthropic)

Anthropic's Cowork is like "Claude Code for the rest of your work"
It'll work across apps with connectors to third-party services
Available for $100/m for Max subscribers on Mac to begin with

Anthropic has shared the first details of its new Cowork tool, available to Claude Max subscribers within the macOS app, and it's been described as "Claude Code for the rest of your work."

The company explained that Cowork operates more like an AI agent than a simplistic generative AI model, which means it can make its own plans and execute tasks step-by-step, updating the user as it progresses.

"It feels much less like a back-and-forth and much more like leaving messages for a coworker," Anthropic wrote, describing the tool that's currently in research preview.

'Potentially destructive actions'

Some examples that Anthropic gives of Cowork's work include generating an expense spreadsheet from multiple screenshots, drafting a report from scattered notes, and cleaning email inboxes.

Cowork also offers extensions and connectors for "when you've mastered the basics." Linking the tool to Claude in Chrome, for example, lets Cowork conduct tasks that require browser access.

A preconfigured set of Agent Skills have also been added to Cowork to help it create certain document types more effectively.

Anthropic did warn of Cowork's "potentially destructive actions" – by giving it access to your files, for example, it could delete them (if instructed to). The company even warned of prompt injections from attackers.

"These risks aren’t new with Cowork, but it might be the first time you’re using a more advanced tool that moves beyond a simple conversation," Anthropic wrote.

Future work includes bringing Cowork to Windows, and a separate waitlist exists for those who aren't currently subscribed to the $100/month Max plan.

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With several years’ experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the decarbonisation of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value!

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