Anthropic is eliminating the distinction between Claude Chat and Claude Cowork. Both will be merged into a single app. In addition, Anthropic is introducing new word processing and presentation tools, allowing it to build a true office suite. Claude Docs and Claude Slides will be rolled out to Pro and Max subscribers in the coming weeks.
Until now, anyone working with Claude always had to make an initial choice. For quick questions, you used Claude Chat; for larger projects, Cowork. That distinction has now disappeared. From now on, Claude will determine what a task requires, and Cowork’s capabilities will be available in any conversation, with the same context, skills, and connectors.
Anthropic notes that users take advantage of both environments but often get stuck trying to figure out where a task belonged. Work that started in one environment didn’t carry over to the other. The company writes: “So we stopped making you choose.”
Docs and slides in the testing phase
The two new tools may be more striking than the merger itself. Claude Docs collaboratively writes documents with the user, while Claude Slides can be used to create entire presentations. Both can be edited in real time, presented directly from Claude, and downloaded as PowerPoint or PDF files. Claude Design, previously a standalone tool, now also works within conversations but continues to exist independently as well.
All three apps are still in beta for paid subscribers. Enterprise administrators decide for themselves when to enable the features, and Anthropic promises to notify those organizations at least thirty days in advance. Team and Free plans will follow later. Code, the programming environment, remains unchanged for now.
Users can also choose how often Claude provides feedback. By default, the assistant asks for permission before performing an action. Users who feel this causes too many interruptions can let Claude work independently for longer periods.
From research preview to productivity suite
This move comes after a fast-paced year for Cowork. Anthropic previously introduced Cowork as a research preview for general knowledge work, based on the ideas behind Claude Code but aimed at a non-technical audience. This was followed by plug-ins for broader use and a mobile client. Claude Tag for Slack and a collaboration platform for businesses also fit into this line of development.
With Docs and Slides, Anthropic is moving into territory occupied by companies such as Microsoft and Google with their Copilot and Google Gemini in Workspace. Notably, Microsoft previously launched Copilot Cowork, designed to enable autonomous AI within 365.
Valuation on the rise
Financially, Anthropic is doing very well. The company was valued at nearly 1 trillion dollars in a recent funding round. According to MarketScreener, a figure of 2,000 billion dollars is now circulating in connection with a potential IPO. Anthropic has not confirmed this valuation itself.