Anthropic, the artificial intelligence (AI) firm behind the Claude AI models, is working toward building systems that can do more than simply respond to prompts. Speaking at Anthropic’s Code with Claude event in San Francisco, Cat Wu, a senior executive of the firm, said the technology could grow beyond following commands. She said it might even start thinking on the users’ behalf.
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New trading tool for NVDA bearsAnthropic’s Wu Says AI Will Focus More on “Proactivity” in the Future
Wu, who leads product development for Claude Code and Claude Cowork at Anthropic, shared her vision for the future of AI-powered assistants. According to her, the next stage of AI evolution will focus on “proactivity,” in which systems anticipate user needs before tasks are even assigned.
Wu noted that current AI tools like Claude work by following direct instructions. Users decide which task needs to be completed, and the AI helps automate it or simplify the process. These systems can also already generate code, review software projects, and handle repetitive technical work.
However, Wu believes future AI systems will go beyond simply following commands. Instead of waiting for rules, they may understand a user’s work habits, priorities, and patterns to automatically suggest or execute tasks.
Wu said the goal is not to replace workers, but to reduce tedious tasks so people can focus on creativity, strategy, and decision-making.
Anthropic Gains Ground Against OpenAI
Anthropic’s new vision comes at a strong moment for the firm as competition in the AI sector continues to intensify. Reports suggest the company is pursuing a funding round that could value it at approximately $950 billion. If achieved, this will put Anthropic ahead of OpenAI’s most recent reported valuation of $852 billion.
Anthropic has also expanded rapidly among enterprise customers, with more businesses using Claude for coding and workflow automation. A recent report found that the company has quadrupled its share of business users since May 2025.
Wu, who joined Anthropic in August 2024, has played a major role in Claude’s growth from a conversational AI assistant. It has now become a broader platform for coding and task automation. She and Claude Code creator Boris Cherny have become closely linked with the product’s rapid growth inside Anthropic.
When asked about competition, Wu said Anthropic remains focused on pushing AI abilities forward rather than tracking rivals.
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