Anthropic Launches Cowork Feature for Claude AI

Anthropic, the developer of the AI chatbot Claude, launched a new feature called Cowork on Monday, enabling users to delegate office tasks to the AI by granting it access to specific folders on their computers. Available immediately as a research preview in the Claude desktop app for macOS, Cowork targets Claude Max subscribers, who pay $100 per month for advanced access.

Cowork builds on the technology behind Claude Code, Anthropic's coding tool released in November 2024, which has gained popularity for handling a wide range of computer-based activities beyond programming. Users select a folder, such as one containing receipt photos or scattered notes, and provide plain-language instructions through the app's chat interface. Claude then autonomously plans and executes the task, such as organizing files, renaming them according to a convention, or generating spreadsheets and reports from the contents. For instance, it can compile an expense report by analyzing images of receipts or draft a document summarizing digital notes.

Unlike standard conversations with Claude, Cowork operates with greater independence, allowing the AI to work through multiple steps without constant user...