Anthropic launched major upgrades to its Claude AI assistant today, introducing an autonomous research capability and Google Workspace integration that transform the AI into what the company calls a “true virtual collaborator” for enterprise users. The expansion directly challenges OpenAI and Microsoft in the increasingly competitive market for AI productivity tools.

The new Research capability enables Claude to independently conduct multiple searches that build upon each other while determining what to investigate next. Simultaneously, the Google Workspace integration connects Claude to users’ emails, calendars, and documents, eliminating the need for manual uploads.

“Minutes Not Hours”: How Claude’s Research Speed Aims to Win Over Busy Executives

Anthropic positions Claude’s Research functionality as dramatically faster than competing solutions, promising comprehensive answers in minutes rather than the “up to 30 minutes” they claim rival products require.

“At Anthropic, we’re laser-focused on enterprise workers and use cases, and our Research tool is reflective of that,” an Anthropic spokesperson told VentureBeat. “Research is a tool to help enterprise workers get well-researched answers to queries in less than a minute. Other solutions on the market take up to 30 minutes to generate responses – that’s not what your average Sales exec or financial services employee needs.”

This speed-focused approach represents a calculated bet that enterprise users prioritize quick responses for time-se...