Anthropic has launched Claude Duet, a new app designed to compete with Meta Muse, OpenAI Dots, Hark, Instinct, Grok Bot, and Fo.
The company positions the tool for professionals and small businesses rather than general consumers. Duet does not handle errands or book tickets. It also does not show browser activity as it happens.
Instead, the agent builds daily briefings and creates dashboards. It suggests actions based on user data. Duet runs tasks in the background through its own virtual machine. It waits for approval before proceeding if a decision is required.
Market shift
The market is moving beyond simple assistants to agents that work on a user’s behalf. Rivals are focusing on business use cases. Meta’s Muse serves personal needs, but the company released a version for small businesses with connections to other apps. OpenAI’s Dots also leans toward business with integrations for professional tools.
Anthropic says Duet proactively delivers recommendations while monitoring ongoing tasks. It runs on the Claude Opus 5.5 model. The app connects to over 6,000 connectors and plugins in the Claude Marketplace.
Duet can make online purchases on a user’s behalf via Stripe’s Link digital wallet or Shopify’s Shop Pay. Sensitive steps like payments require user approval. The agent will not trade securities or move money between accounts.
Anthropic released a new classifier to check each message and prevent sensitive information from leaking out. By default, the agent rejects requests asking for credit card numbers or government identification.
Claude Duet is available as an app on iOS and Android. It is on the web through Claude.ai for Pro and Max customers in research preview. Users must join a waitlist to try it.
What it means
This launch signals that Anthropic is betting on deep integration for work rather than simple chat. The tool handles background management without constant human input. Users retain control over financial actions through mandatory approval steps. The focus is on data synthesis and task execution within a professional context.
