Microsoft brings Anthropic models to 365 Copilot, diversifies beyond OpenAI

Microsoft said on Wednesday it will integrate artificial intelligence models from Anthropic into its Copilot assistant, signaling the software giant's push to reduce dependence on its high-profile partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI. 

While Copilot will remain powered by OpenAI's latest models, users will be able to select Anthropic models, Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4.1, in Copilot's AI-powered reasoning agent "Researcher," as well as when developing agents in Microsoft Copilot Studio. 

Starting Wednesday, users who opt in to try Claude can switch between OpenAI and Anthropic models in Researcher, said Charles Lamanna, president of Microsoft's business and industry Copilot operations. 

The move marks a shift for Microsoft Copilot, which has been primarily using OpenAI for the new AI features across its suite of applications like Word and Outlook. 

Microsoft, a key financial backer for OpenAI, has been seeking to reduce its reliance on the startup and is developing its own AI models, while also integrating models from China’s DeepSeek into its Azure cloud platform. 

Earlier this year, Microsoft said it would offer new AI models made by companies including Elon Musk's xAI and Meta Platforms hosted in its own data centers. 

Anthropic's AI models are primarily hosted on Amazon Web Services, a rival to Microsoft's cloud business.