Microsoft is expanding its AI offerings significantly and continues to invest in artificial intelligence. In a recent announcement, Microsoft has made Claude models available in Microsoft 365 Copilot. As a result, millions of enterprise users will be able to use Claude through Microsoft’s productivity platform.
The move to offer Claude is part of Microsoft’s Frontier Program, and it allows users to use Claude alongside OpenAI’s models, signaling a shift toward a multi-model future in enterprise productivity tools.
In Microsoft 365 Copilot’s Researcher feature, users now have the option to “Try Claude,” with Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4 and Opus 4.1 available for reasoning-heavy tasks. Furthermore, Copilot Studio, which enables organizations to build custom AI agents, also gains Claude integration, giving developers and administrators the flexibility to select models best suited for their workflows.
However, access to Claude is currently preview-only, and administrators must enable it through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
Experts are looking at this Microsoft move as a way to diversify, while Microsoft’s central AI offering remains with OpenAI. Microsoft is showing an intention to diversify its AI offerings and go beyond its heavy reliance on OpenAI.
By adding Anthropic to the suite, Microsoft is now offering customers multiple choices while also reducing the risk of vendor lock-in.
Overall, for Microsoft, the move to include Claude in its offerings is both defensive and ambitious. It shields the company from relying solely on OpenAI while pushing its Copilot suite closer to being a true multi-model platform.
