Claude Duet: Anthropic targets the business workflow

Anthropic has entered the crowded artificial intelligence assistant market with a new application called Claude Duet. The company is betting on a specific niche to capture user attention. Instead of competing directly with consumer-focused tools, it targets professionals and small businesses. The goal is to help these users automate and manage their daily workloads.

The AI landscape is currently saturated with new products. A new assistant or productivity tool launches almost every week. Anthropic is positioning Duet against several major rivals. These include Meta Muse, OpenAI Dots, Hark, Instinct, Grok Bot, and Fo. The company believes its approach to professional users will set it apart in this fierce competition.

Anthropic draws a clear line between Duet and personal agents like Instinct. The new tool is not designed for casual errands. It will not book tickets or handle personal shopping lists. It also cannot display its browser activity in real-time for the user to watch. This distinction highlights that Duet is built for structured, professional environments rather than loose, personal tasks.

The core functionality of Duet centers on creating daily briefings and building dashboards. It suggests actions based on the specific data provided by the user. Like other leading agents, it performs tasks in the background. It uses its own virtual machine to work while the user handles other duties. The agent only returns to the user if it needs specific approval to proceed.

This launch coincides with a broader industry shift. The market is moving beyond simple assistants to agents that work on behalf of users. Many competitors are making similar pivots toward business use cases. Meta offers a version of Muse for small businesses with app connections. OpenAI’s Dots also has a business focus, integrating with various professional tools. Anthropic is following this trend with a dedicated product.

Duet operates on the Claude Opus 5.5 model. It proactively delivers recommendations while monitoring ongoing tasks. The application has access to a vast ecosystem. It can connect to more than 6,000 connectors and plugins available in the Claude Marketplace. This wide range of integrations allows it to interact with many different software platforms used by businesses.

The agent can also execute online purchases on a user's behalf. It supports payments through Stripe’s Link digital wallet or Shopify’s Shop Pay. However, Anthropic has set strict boundaries for financial actions. Sensitive steps, such as making a payment, require explicit user approval. The agent will not trade securities or move money between different bank accounts without further instruction.

Security is a priority for this new release. Anthropic introduced a new classifier to check every message. This feature aims to prevent sensitive information from leaking out to the wrong places. By default, the agent will turn down requests asking for credit card numbers or government identification. This layer of protection is designed to keep user data secure during automated processes.

Claude Duet is currently available as an app for iOS and Android devices. It is also accessible on the web through Claude.ai. The service is in a research preview phase. It is available to Pro and Max customers at this time. Users must join a waitlist to gain access to the platform.