Anthropic targets business users with new Claude Duet app

For professionals and small business owners, the daily grind of managing tasks just got a new helper. Anthropic has launched Claude Duet, a mobile and web application designed to handle work-related automation. Unlike other AI tools that try to do everything, this new app is built specifically for business use cases. It aims to save time by managing workflows in the background while you focus on other priorities.

The AI assistant market has become a crowded space in recent months. New tools are launching almost every week, each claiming to be the best at helping users with productivity. Anthropic is now entering this fray with a clear target. The company wants to stand out by focusing on the needs of working professionals and small enterprises. It is positioning Claude Duet as a direct competitor to several existing players in the field.

Several rivals are already vying for this attention. Meta has released Muse, which serves both personal and business needs. OpenAI has Dots, which leans heavily toward professional tools. Other names in the mix include Hark, Instinct, Grok Bot, and Fo. Anthropic sees an opening to capture users who feel underserved by general-purpose personal agents. The goal is to provide a more focused experience for those who use AI to run their businesses.

Anthropic is making a clear distinction between Duet and its competitors. The company notes that Duet is not designed for personal errands. It will not book your tickets or handle your personal shopping lists. It also cannot show you its browser activity in real-time as it works. Instead, the app is built to build daily briefings and create dashboards. It analyzes your data to suggest the next best actions for your work.

The technical foundation of Duet is the Claude Opus 5.5 model. This allows the agent to connect with a vast ecosystem of tools. Users can access over 6,000 connectors and plug-ins through the Claude Marketplace. This integration capability is central to its business focus. It allows the AI to interact with the specific software that small businesses rely on every day.

Security and control are major concerns for business users. Anthropic has addressed this by introducing a new classifier. This tool checks every message to prevent sensitive information from leaking out. By default, the agent will decline requests for credit card numbers or government identification. For sensitive steps like making online purchases, the app requires explicit user approval before proceeding.

Duet can make purchases on your behalf using Stripe’s Link or Shopify’s Shop Pay. However, it has limits. It will not trade securities or move money between different accounts. This boundary helps maintain user trust. The agent works in the background using its own virtual machine. It only interrupts you when it needs approval for a specific action.

The launch of Duet signals a broader shift in the industry. The focus is moving away from simple chat assistants to agents that work on behalf of the user. Anthropic is betting that this business-first approach will resonate with a specific segment of the market. The app is currently available in research preview for Pro and Max customers on iOS, Android, and the web. Users must join a waitlist to gain access to the new tool.