TOOL SPARKS FEARS OF SOFTWARE AND OUTSOURCING DISRUPTION

ANTHROPIC, a US-based company that builds advanced AI systems designed to work safely and reliably inside organisations, drew global attention this week after it released new automation tools that showed how quickly AI is moving beyond chatbots and into full-scale workplace automation.

- PADMINI DHRUVARAJ

The announcement triggered sharp reactions in financial markets as it challenged long-held assumptions about how software and outsourcing businesses operate.

At the centre of the launch was an upgraded AI agent called Claude Cowork. Unlike earlier AI tools that mainly answered questions or helped with writing, this system is designed to carry out real work across many business functions. Anthropic introduced plugins that allow the AI to handle specialised tasks in areas such as sales, marketing, legal work, finance, customer support, data analysis and internal knowledge search. These plugins connect the AI directly to a company's tools and information, allowing it to act inside existing workflows rather than sitting on the sidelines.