Anthropic’s Claude Cowork Is an AI Agent That Actually Works

Cowork is a user-friendly version of Anthropic's Claude Code AI-powered tool that's built for file management and basic computing tasks. Here's what it's like to use it.

As a software reporter at WIRED, I’ve tested a lot of shitty agents over the past couple of years. These experiences expose a consistent pattern of generative AI startups overpromising and underdelivering when it comes to these “agentic” helpers—programs designed to take control of your computer, performing chores and digital errands to free up your time for more important things. But the bots I installed on my laptop would struggle to complete even basic tasks. They just didn’t work.