Microsoft Integrates Anthropic AI Models into 365 Apps

Microsoft has announced the integration of Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4.1 AI models into Microsoft 365 Copilot. This development expands the range of models available beyond OpenAI, allowing customers to utilize Anthropic models in Researcher and Microsoft Copilot Studio.

Charles Lamanna, president of Microsoft's business and industry Copilot team, stated that Copilot will continue to be powered by OpenAI's latest models, with the added flexibility of using Anthropic models in Researcher or when building agents in Microsoft Copilot Studio. The inclusion of Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4.1 enhances Microsoft's commitment to providing top-tier AI innovation tailored to business needs.

The Researcher agent can now employ either OpenAI's deep reasoning models or Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.1. Users will find a "Try Claude" button in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, offering access to Opus 4.1. Lamanna noted that opting in allows easy switching between OpenAI and Anthropic models in Researcher.

Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4.1 are also available in Copilot Studio, Microsoft's platform for building AI agents. Lamanna explained that this launch enables the building, orchestration, and management of agents powered by Anthropic models for deep reasoning, workflow automation, and flexible tasks. Users can mix models from Anthropic, OpenAI, and others in Azure's catalog for specific tasks.

Anthropic's AI models are hosted on Amazon Web Services, yet Microsoft accesses them via the Anthropic API. Previously, Microsoft hosted xAI's Grok 3 models on Azure, suggesting a potential similar arrangement for Anthropic models in the future.