Anthropic is working towards a future where artificial intelligence tools can anticipate what users need before they even ask for help, according to the company's product executive Catherine Wu. Speaking to TechCrunch in an interview during the recent Code with Claude conference in San Francisco, Wu said the next major step for AI assistants will be "proactivity".
Wu, who leads product development for Claude Code and Cowork at Anthropic, explained that today's AI tools mainly respond to direct instructions from users. However, she believes the technology is quickly moving towards systems that can independently understand a person's work habits and automate tasks without being asked every time.
"I think the next step is that Claude understands what you work on, and just sets up some of these automations for you," Wu said during the interview with TechCrunch.
According to Catherine Wu, many people already use AI for repetitive tasks such as drafting replies, coding support and customer service automation. She said future AI systems will become more deeply integrated into everyday work and could handle routine responsibilities automatically.
Catherine Wu is Anthropic's head of product for Claude Code and Cowork.
Photo Credit: linkedin.com/in/cat-wu/
Wu added that Anthropic's main focus is staying at the forefront of AI development rather than reacting to competitors. She said the company believes AI models will continue improving rapidly and that products must evolve alongside that progress.
Anthropic has expanded quickly over the past year, with its Claude chatbot gaining popularity among business users. The company has also increased the number of AI models it releases and continues to develop tools for coding and workplace productivity.
Wu also spoke about the growing use of AI "agents" in workplaces. She said humans would still need expert knowledge to supervise these systems properly and understand when mistakes happen.
While concerns remain about AI replacing jobs, Wu said her hope is that AI will remove tedious tasks and allow people to spend more time on creative and meaningful work.
