Claude Duet, an artificial intelligence agent designed to compete with OpenAI's Dots and Meta's Muse, entered preview on Wednesday. The tool targets small businesses and professionals, offering capabilities that include sending daily briefs, monitoring connected applications, and executing tasks such as building dashboards, scheduling meetings, and creating financial forecasts.
In a blog post, Anthropic described the agent as a system that surfaces items requiring user attention, completes assigned tasks, and continues working while users are away. The company noted that Claude Duet checks with users before acting on their behalf. While the product is built for the workplace, Anthropic acknowledged that personal errands, such as booking tickets, are not "quite as strong" compared to consumer-focused competitors.
The launch coincides with growing traction for rival products. Meta's Muse, marketed as a "personal AI agent," launched last month and quickly reached the top of Apple's App Store. OpenAI introduced Dots, described as "always-on agents," at its annual developer conference weeks after Muse's debut. Meta has primarily marketed Muse to consumers, while OpenAI's product serves both enterprise and consumer markets.
The competition reflects broader strategic shifts among major AI labs. Anthropic and OpenAI have spent much of the past year releasing competing models and vying for enterprise market share. Meta is simultaneously revamping its AI strategy and investing billions of dollars in new frontier efforts. During a third-quarter earnings call held after the bell on Wednesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that more than 10 million people in the U.S. and Canada have set up Muse personal agents in the past month and a half. This initial success contributed to Meta ending September with its best month on Wall Street since 2022.
Anthropic emphasized that Claude Duet remains in an early phase of development. The company warned that the agent "might misread a thread or miscalibrate what's urgent." A waitlist opened on Wednesday for interested users. During the preview period, access is available to Pro and Max subscribers through a standalone app or the Claude website.