Microsoft brings Anthropic’s Claude to 365 Copilot, giving enterprises real model choice
Microsoft is expanding Microsoft 365 Copilot beyond its OpenAI-only roots, adding Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4.1 as selectable options. The capability starts today in the Researcher agent and Copilot Studio for building custom agents, with an opt-in rollout for eligible customers.
What’s new
- Users can now switch between OpenAI and Anthropic models in the Researcher agent; admins enable access via the Microsoft 365 admin center.
- Copilot Studio exposes Claude Sonnet 4 and Opus 4.1 as model options for creating enterprise-grade agents and workflows.
- Rollout begins through Microsoft’s Frontier Program for Microsoft 365 Copilot–licensed customers who opt in.
- Microsoft frames the move as “model choice,” diversifying its AI stack while continuing to offer OpenAI models.
How it works
- In Researcher, a model selector lets users choose the provider for deep reasoning tasks across web sources and work content (emails, chats, files).
- In Copilot Studio, teams can mix models across providers as part of multi-agent workflows and orchestration.
- Important compliance note: when an organization chooses Claude, related data is processed by Anthropic outside Microsoft-managed environments; Microsoft’s standard customer terms and DPA don’t apply.
- Anthropic models remain hosted externally, with Microsoft emphasizing flexibility over exclusive hosting.
Why it matters
- Enterprises gain vendor diversification, reducing single-provider risk and allowing task-by-task optimization for cost, latency, and accuracy.
- Model choice can improve outcomes in research-heavy workflows (market analysis, reporting, policy reviews) without leaving Microsoft 365.
- For regulated teams, the external-hosting/data-sharing caveat will drive new governance checks and approval flows.
What’s next
- Microsoft says “more powerful experiences” with Anthropic models are coming to 365 Copilot; broader app-level integrations could follow as the model catalog expands.
- Expect pilots over the coming weeks as admins enable access and evaluate performance, costs, and compliance impacts.
Microsoft’s embrace of third-party models inside Copilot marks a pragmatic turn toward an AI “multi-model” era in office software—meeting customers where they are on accuracy, governance, and flexibility while keeping workflows in the Microsoft 365 stack.