Beginning today, Microsoft is incorporating Anthropic’s AI models, Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4.1, into its Microsoft 365 Copilot. This significant step broadens the range of available AI models, moving beyond the exclusive reliance on OpenAI offerings, and will enable users to utilize Anthropic’s capabilities in both Researcher and Microsoft Copilot Studio.
Charles Lamanna, president of Microsoft’s business and industry Copilot team, stated, “Copilot will still utilize OpenAI’s latest models but now provides our clients with the option to integrate Anthropic models as well — initially through Researcher or while developing agents in Copilot Studio. The introduction of Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4.1 reinforces our dedication to delivering advanced AI innovation tailored for professional environments and specific business requirements.”
With this update, the Researcher agent can now utilize either OpenAI’s deep reasoning models or Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.1. Users will find a “Try Claude” button at the top of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, allowing them to opt for the Opus 4.1 models over OpenAI’s offerings. Lamanna noted, “Once you choose to opt in, effortlessly switching between OpenAI and Anthropic models in Researcher is straightforward.”
In addition, the Claude models are set to feature in Copilot Studio, Microsoft’s framework for developing AI agents. Lamanna explained, “With this launch, users can create, orchestrate, and manage agents fueled by Anthropic models suited for deep reasoning tasks, workflow automation, and other versatile applications. There’s also the possibility to integrate different models for specific tasks from Anthropic, OpenAI, and additional options within Azure’s model catalog.”
The rollout of Claude in the Researcher app is occurring today through the Frontier program for Microsoft 365 Copilot customers who choose to take part. Furthermore, Copilot Studio users can also select to gain access to Claude.
Notably, Anthropic’s AI models will continue to be hosted on Amazon Web Services, which is a competitor to Microsoft’s Azure. Access to Claude is facilitated through the Anthropic API, similar to other developers. Microsoft had previously partnered with xAI to deploy Grok 3 models on Azure, indicating a potential future opportunity for collaboration with Anthropic on Azure.
The introduction of Anthropic models into Microsoft 365 Copilot comes shortly after reports indicated a preference for Anthropic in Visual Studio Code operations. GitHub Copilot users are now primarily utilizing Claude Sonnet 4 for the Visual Studio Code editor’s latest intelligent model selection feature.
Moreover, there are indications that Microsoft plans to deploy Anthropic’s AI models in applications like Excel and PowerPoint soon, based on their superior performance compared to OpenAI’s models. Lamanna hinted, “This is only the beginning — our commitment to rapidly advancing model innovation will continue. Stay tuned for more powerful experiences brought by Anthropic models to Microsoft 365 Copilot.”
