Microsoft Announces Claude-Powered Copilot Cowork Agent

Microsoft detailed today what it calls the “wave 3” of Microsoft 365 Copilot, which is evolving from a generative AI assistant to an ecosystem of agentic features. That includes a new Copilot Cowork agent powered by the same technology behind Anthropic’s existing Claude Cowork agent.

Copilot Cowork is currently available in private preview for select customers, and Microsoft will make it available as a research preview through its Frontier program later this month. It will work as an AI agent that can complete “long-running, multi-step tasks” such as preparing for a customer meeting.

“Cowork can orchestrate the full workflow, building the presentation, assembling financials, emailing the team, and coordinating time for prep, while keeping you informed and in control throughout the process. Cowork is built for the enterprise—with the intelligence of WorkIQ, trust of Microsoft’s Enterprise Data Protection, and integration into the cloud,” explained Judson Althoff, the new CEO of Microsoft’s commercial business.

Microsoft said today that Claude Cowork was developed in “close collaboration” with Anthropic, and this partnership with the AI startup follows the addition of the Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4.1 models to Microsoft 365 Copilot in September. With the wave 3 of Microsoft 365 Copilot, customers enrolled in the Frontier program can access Claude and the latest generation of OpenAI models via the Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat experience.

Later this month, Microsoft will also introduce new agentic AI experiences in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. “Employees will also have an enhanced experience in Copilot Chat including the ability to create and augment artifacts, and the power to build their own agents within the canvas they work in every day,” Althoff said today.

Lastly, Microsoft announced the general availability of Microsoft Agent 365 on May 1. The new platform, designed to help organizations to better manage AI agents, was first announced at the company’s Ignite conference in November, and it’s currently available through Microsoft Frontier. Microsoft will price it at $15 per user when it becomes generally available.

On May 1, Microsoft will also launch the new Microsoft 365 Enterprise E7 suite. It will include Microsoft 365 Copilot, the new Agent 365 platform, as well as the Microsoft Entra Suite and Microsoft 365 E5 with advanced Defender, Entra, Intune, and Purview security capabilities. Microsoft 365 Enterprise E7 suite will be priced at $99 per user per month.