Claude Duet: Anthropic's New Agent for Business Tasks

For professionals and small businesses, a new tool is arriving to help automate and manage tasks. Anthropic has launched an app called Claude Duet, entering a crowded market of personal and productivity-based assistants. The company is positioning it directly against rivals like Meta Muse, OpenAI Dots, Hark, Instinct, Grok Bot, and Fo, but with a specific focus on professional work. This approach marks a clear distinction from agents designed for personal errands.

The app can build a daily briefing for users, create dashboards, or suggest actions based on a user's data. It is also capable of completing tasks in the background through its own virtual machine while a user handles other things, returning for approval if needed. Anthropic says the agent proactively delivers its recommendations as it monitors ongoing tasks. It is built on the Claude Opus 5.5 model.

Duet can connect to over 6,000 connectors and plug-ins available in the Claude Marketplace. It can also make online purchases on a user's behalf via Stripe's Link digital wallet or Shopify's Shop Pay. The company stated that sensitive steps such as payments would require user approval, but the agent will not trade securities or move money between accounts. Anthropic also released a new classifier to check each message to prevent sensitive information from leaking out, and said that by default, the agent would turn down requests asking for credit card numbers and government identification.

The launch comes as the market shifts beyond AI assistants to agents that can work on a user's behalf. Anthropic said the new agent is meant to cater to professionals and small businesses. The company is making a distinction from personal agents, noting that Duet is not good at handling errands or booking tickets and cannot show its browser use as it happens.

Many of Anthropic's rivals are focusing on business use cases. While Meta's Muse is a personal AI assistant, the company also released a version to cater to small businesses with connections to other apps. OpenAI's Dots has a business slant as well, with its integration with professional tools.

Claude Duet is available as an app on iOS and Android, and on the web through Claude.ai for Pro and Max customers in research preview. Users have to join a waitlist to try it.