Anthropic targets professionals with new task management tool Claude Duet

Anthropic has launched Claude Duet, a new application designed to compete in the crowded market of artificial intelligence assistants. The company is positioning this tool specifically for professionals and small business owners who need help automating complex workflows. By entering this space, Anthropic joins a growing list of rivals including Meta Muse, OpenAI Dots, Hark, Instinct, Grok Bot, and Fo. The move signals a clear intent to capture user attention by offering a product tailored to professional productivity rather than general consumer use.

The company is making a distinct separation between its new agent and the personal assistants currently dominating the news cycle. Anthropic notes that Duet is not intended for handling casual errands or booking tickets. It also lacks the ability to display its browser usage in real time. Instead, the software is built to manage high-level tasks. It can generate daily briefings, create custom dashboards, and suggest specific actions based on the data provided by the user. This focus on structured business output differentiates it from tools that prioritize casual interaction.

From an operational standpoint, Duet functions similarly to other background agents. It executes tasks within its own virtual machine while the user continues with their daily work. The system will only interrupt the user if it requires approval to proceed. This design allows for asynchronous work, enabling the AI to handle processes in the background without constant supervision. The goal is to reduce the cognitive load on professionals by offloading routine management tasks.

The launch of this tool coincides with a broader market shift. The industry is moving beyond simple conversational assistants toward agents that can work on behalf of users. Many of Anthropic's competitors are making similar adjustments. Meta has released a version of its Muse assistant that targets small businesses with connections to other applications. OpenAI has also given its Dots product a business slant by integrating it with professional tools. This trend suggests that enterprise and small business use cases are becoming a primary driver for AI development.

In terms of technical capabilities, Claude Duet is built on the Claude Opus 5.5 model. The platform offers extensive connectivity through the Claude Marketplace, which includes over 6,000 connectors and plug-ins. This wide range of integrations allows the agent to interact with various software environments. Furthermore, the tool can execute online purchases on behalf of the user. It achieves this by connecting to Stripe’s Link digital wallet or Shopify’s Shop Pay, providing a direct path for automated commerce.

Anthropic has implemented specific safeguards to manage risk, particularly regarding financial transactions. Sensitive steps, such as processing payments, require explicit user approval. The agent is not permitted to trade securities or move money between different accounts. To further protect user data, the company released a new classifier that scans each message. This system is designed to prevent sensitive information from leaking out. By default, the agent will decline requests that ask for credit card numbers or government identification details.

The new application is currently available on iOS and Android devices. It is also accessible via the web through Claude.ai for Pro and Max customers. The service is in research preview, meaning it is still undergoing testing and refinement. To access the tool, users must join a waitlist. This staged rollout allows Anthropic to manage demand and gather feedback from its target audience of professionals and small business owners.