Anthropic has introduced Cowork, a new mode that gives its AI assistant Claude expanded agentic capabilities for non-technical tasks.
Cowork came about after Anthropic noticed that developers were using Claude Code not only for coding tasks but for non-technical ones as well. The AI startup created Cowork to formalize that mode and make it accessible to non-technical users.
Cowork is currently available as a research preview for Claude Max subscribers on its macOS app.
Cowork gives Claude access to specific folders on users’ computers, enabling it to read, edit and create files. Claude also can organize files, generate spreadsheets from screenshots, or draft reports from notes. Anthropic said that once the user sets up a task, Claude will make a plan and complete it.
However, Anthropic also warned of risks such as Claude deleting files by misinterpreting the user’s instructions. The startup also warned about the risk of prompt injections, in which content Claude encounters could influence or alter its planned actions.