Anthropic released Cowork on Monday, a new AI agent capability that extends the power of its Claude Code tool to non-technical users. The feature, built in approximately a week and a half largely using Claude Code itself, is available as a research preview exclusively to Claude Max subscribers through the macOS desktop application.

Cowork allows users to complete non-technical tasks in a manner similar to how developers utilize Claude Code, according to an announcement made via Anthropic's official Claude account on X. This launch signals Anthropic's intent to compete with Microsoft's Copilot in the AI-powered productivity tools market, expanding its reach beyond conversational AI to challenge OpenAI and Google.

The introduction of Cowork represents a significant shift in the AI landscape. For the past year, the focus has largely been on large language models capable of creative tasks like writing poetry or debugging code. Anthropic is now wagering that the true value for enterprises lies in AI capable of streamlining everyday workflows.

The company's decision to prioritize practical AI agents reflects a growing understanding of the enterprise market's needs. By making AI accessible to non-technical users, Anthropic aims to democratize the technology and unlock new levels of productivity across various industries. The speed with which Cowork was developed, reportedly in just a week and a half using Claude Code, highlights the potential of AI to accelerate its own development and deployment.

Cowork is currently available to Claude Max subscribers, Anthropic's power-user tier priced between $100 and $200 per month. The company has not yet announced plans for wider availability, but the research preview will likely inform future iterations and broader releases. The launch of Cowork marks a major step in the evolution of AI from a tool for specialists to a ubiquitous assistant for everyday users.