By Aditya Soni<\/p>\n
March 9 (Reuters) – Microsoft<\/a> (MSFT<\/a>) is adding Anthropic’s (ANTH.PVT<\/a>) AI technology<\/a> to its Copilot service to tap growing demand for autonomous agents, weeks \u200cafter the startup’s new tools sparked a selloff in software stocks.<\/p>\n The \u200ccompany on Monday unveiled Copilot Cowork, a tool based on Anthropic’s viral Claude Cowork offering, which \u200bhas captivated Silicon Valley with its ability to handle complex tasks such as creating apps, building spreadsheets and organizing large volumes of data with limited human oversight.<\/p>\n Microsoft is betting that its long-standing ties with enterprise customers and its focus on security \u200cand data controls will help \u2060it win business from companies interested in AI agents but wary of deploying them without safeguards.<\/p>\n “We work only in a cloud \u2060environment and we work only on behalf of the user. So you know exactly what information it (Copilot Cowork) has access to,” Jared Spataro, who leads Microsoft’s AI-at-Work efforts, \u200btold \u200bReuters.<\/p>\n Cloud Cowork only works locally on the \u200bdevice and most companies feel “very uncomfortable” \u200cwith that, he said. “We’re the opposite.”<\/p>\n The launch comes weeks after Anthropic introduced new tools for Claude that intensified investor concerns about the threat AI agents could pose to traditional software companies, triggering to a selloff in the sector. Microsoft’s own shares fell nearly 9% in February.<\/p>\n Copilot Cowork tool is currently in testing and \u200cwill be available to early-access users later \u200bthis month, Microsoft said.<\/p>\n The company did not disclose \u200bpricing, but said some usage \u200bwould be included in its $30-per-user, per-month M365 Copilot offering for \u200centerprises, with additional usage available for purchase.<\/p>\n