Anthropic's latest offering, Claude AI, is being heavily promoted, with tech outlets like Tom's Guide claiming it feels more like a "coworker" than a traditional chatbot.

The Story
The message is clear: AI is evolving.
Why It Matters
For European SMBs, this isn't just marketing fluff. It means AI tools are maturing to handle more nuanced, collaborative tasks. Instead of just answering questions, Claude is designed to brainstorm, draft, and summarise alongside your team, much like a junior professional. This shift enables deeper integration into daily workflows, augmenting your existing staff for specific knowledge-based tasks.
What To Do About It
My advice? Don't chase the "coworker" label directly. Instead, identify 2-3 specific, repetitive tasks in your firm – think initial document reviews, email drafting, or client brief summaries – where a "digital assistant" could genuinely add value. Pilot Claude (or a similar tool) on one of these tasks for a month. Focus on defining clear roles for the AI and training your team to interact with it like a structured colleague, not a magic box. This is about process, not just technology.
Related Signals

Microsoft rolled out its Project Manager Agent worldwide in April 2026 as part of the Copilot 2026 Wave 1 release, alongside video meeting recaps and Community Agents in Teams.
10 Apr 2026
Salesforce overhauled Slackbot with 30+ new AI capabilities, turning it into an autonomous desktop agent that executes tasks via MCP integrations with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Notion, Workday, and 6,000+ apps.
4 Apr 2026
Salesforce embedded Agentforce AI agents into its Free, Starter, and Pro SMB Suites at no extra cost — capabilities previously locked behind $550/user enterprise plans now included in every SMB seat.
26 Mar 2026