Anthropic launches Claude Duet for select U.S. subscribers

Anthropic has launched Claude Duet, a new personal AI agent, which is currently in preview for select subscribers. This rollout occurred on October 21, following similar releases by companies like SpaceX, Meta, and OpenAI. Claude Duet is designed to function as an always-on assistant, capable of proactively completing tasks even when users are away from their devices. It operates on its own virtual machine and can access a dedicated browser to surf the web and complete jobs using connected apps.

Currently, Claude Duet is available exclusively to Claude Pro and Max subscribers in the United States. Interested users must join a waitlist on Anthropic's website, providing their name, company, email address, and details about their mobile device. This information is necessary since Anthropic offers a standalone app for both Android and iOS. The company has indicated that Duet will be included as a benefit in its $20 monthly Pro plan, making it more accessible compared to OpenAI's offerings, which start at $100 per month.

During this preview phase, Claude Duet will share usage data with other Claude applications, including Code and Cowork. Anthropic emphasizes that Duet is designed to check connected accounts periodically rather than constantly, in order to manage the limits of users' subscription plans. The company is seeking feedback on how frequently Duet should message users as it prepares for a broader rollout.

Claude Duet aims to assist users by generating daily briefings with action items based on their connected apps. It can handle various tasks, such as scheduling meetings, creating forecasts, and compiling research. For instance, a business owner might use Duet to generate a weekly sales dashboard, while a researcher could delegate the task of flagging relevant research papers. Anthropic positions Duet as a proactive agent that brings tasks to users’ attention, contrasting with the traditional model where users must initiate interactions with AI.