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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Claude can now interface with workplace apps within a chat.
- The chatbot could become the main digital interface for business.
- Other AI developers are also trying to expand their reach.
AI startup Anthropic announced Monday that Claude can now interface directly with popular workplace productivity apps like Figma, Asana, and Slack within a chat, negating the need for users to work between separate tabs.
Also: I let Anthropic’s Claude Cowork loose on my files, and it was both brilliant and scary
Arriving two weeks after the research preview launch of Claude Cowork — a feature designed to deliver the agentic capabilities of Claude Code to non-coding tasks — the news underscores what’s become an increasingly clear objective from Anthropic: make Claude the primary interface of users’ working lives.
A closer look
Anthropic has long been investing in Claude’s technological reach, so to speak.
In July, the company debuted a directory of connectors to third-party apps, including Stripe and Canva, with the goal of transforming Claude “from a helpful assistant into an informed AI collaborator that gives you more relevant responses and can work with you directly in your tools,” Anthropic wrote in a press release. Rather than having to copy and paste information from an external app into Claude and vice versa, connectors enable the chatbot to pull data from those apps directly if prompted to do so.
Also: I used Claude Code to vibe code a Mac app in 8 hours, but it was more work than magic
Monday’s news takes that underlying idea one step further by giving Claude the power to essentially interact with workplace productivity apps exactly as it would within those apps themselves, but inside a Claude chat.
For example, you could ask Claude to draft a board in Asana for a particular project, and it would be able to pull data from your team’s account to know which data it should include, as well as relevant timelines. Crucially, it would then present you with a preview of what the finished product would look like within Asana, which you could then manually edit or launch.
Also: Anthropic to Claude: Make good choices!
Claude can now directly interface with Amplitude, Asana, Box, Canva, Clay, Figma, Hex, monday.com, and Slack, according to the blog post. Salesforce will also soon be added to that list.
Big ambitions
Built upon Anthropic’s open-sourced Model Context Protocol, the new capability could push Claude closer to becoming the digital cornerstone for many enterprises.
Also: Claude’s Skills just got easier to manage and share – here’s how
Meanwhile, Anthropic’s competitors are also aspiring to become for the AI era what Google has been for the traditional online search era: not just one product among many, but the primary portal through which the majority of people engage with the internet. Both OpenAI and Perplexity, for example, have recently launched their own AI-powered web browsers.
How to access
The new feature is available now on web and desktop for Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise subscribers. Just visit claude.ai/directory and select apps labeled “interactive.”
Also: How to install and configure Claude Code, step by step
Anthropic added in its Monday announcement that the Claude Cowork research preview can now be accessed on web and desktop for Team and Enterprise subscribers (it was originally only available through Pro and Max plans).
