Anthropic is making a clear push into the AI workplace assistant race with the launch of two major features: a new Research tool and deep integration with Google Workspace. Together, they signal Claude’s evolution from helpful chatbot to hands-on collaborator.
Key Points:
- Claude’s new Research tool works agentically, running multi-step queries with citations
- Gmail, Calendar, and Google Docs integration brings Claude closer to Microsoft Copilot
- Teams can now pull insights from internal docs and the open web without manual effort
- New features are available in beta for Claude Max, Team, and Enterprise users'
The new Research capability shifts Claude from answering questions to solving problems more autonomously. Instead of firing off a single query, Claude now takes an “agentic” approach—running multiple searches, building on what it finds, and returning a synthesized response complete with citations. According to Anthropic, it mimics how a human would dig through sources to investigate a question, surfacing nuanced insights rather than quick hits. The goal is to land in a sweet spot: more comprehensive than a basic web search, but still fast enough to stay in your workflow.
But it’s the Google Workspace integration that brings Claude squarely into productivity territory. Users can now securely connect their Gmail, Google Calendar, and Docs, allowing Claude to fetch meeting notes, identify next steps from email threads, or scan files for relevant context—no manual uploads or constant re-prompting required. Think of it like having a colleague who not only remembers everything, but also reads your inbox and calendar so you don’t have to.
For Enterprise users, Anthropic is also introducing an optional Google Docs cataloging feature. When enabled, this creates a specialized index of organizational documents to improve retrieval quality, even when information is buried in lengthy files or scattered across multiple documents. It’s all backed by retrieval-augmented generation techniques, designed to ensure relevance and precision while keeping data private.
This launch puts Claude in more direct competition with Microsoft’s Copilot and Google’s own AI integrations, both of which aim to help users work faster by understanding their digital environment. But Anthropic is betting that its combination of deep reasoning and context awareness gives Claude an edge.
For now, the Research feature is in beta for Max, Team, and Enterprise users in the U.S., Japan, and Brazil, while Workspace integration is available to all paid users. With more sources and capabilities promised soon, Claude is quietly stepping into a new role: not just answering your questions, but doing the heavy lifting behind them.