Anthropic launches Claude Duet AI agent

Anthropic has announced Claude Duet, an AI agent aimed at professionals and small business owners. The product is launching as a research preview and will be available as a standalone app on iOS and Android as well as through Claude. Claude Duet enters an emerging market for agentic assistants that can carry out tasks rather than only answer questions. It is set to compete with Meta's Muse and OpenAI's Dots, among other efforts to make AI more useful for everyday work. The launch matters because it shows Anthropic pushing beyond chat-style models into consumer and business agent products. For professionals and small firms, the appeal of such tools will depend on whether they can reliably handle multi-step tasks, connect to the right services and earn user trust. The summary did not include details about pricing, supported integrations, safety controls or the specific tasks Claude Duet can perform. Those gaps are important because agent products are judged not only on model quality but also on reliability, privacy and how well they fit existing workflows. Anthropic has emphasized safety in its model work, and that reputation may help as it asks users to delegate more tasks to an assistant. The research preview label also suggests the company is gathering feedback before a wider rollout. The competitive landscape is moving quickly, with Meta and OpenAI also investing in agentic experiences. Claude Duet's early reception will show whether users want a dedicated agent app or prefer assistants embedded in tools they already use.