What's new in Claude: September recap

September Recap: Workflow Improvements

In this September recap from Anthropic, the key theme is improving workflow so users can describe their goal once and have Claude carry it through—without repeatedly choosing modes/tools or re-briefing.

Major Product / Workflow Changes

Chat and Cowork merged into one Claude

• No more “mode” selection.
• Claude automatically determines the right way to help based on what you ask.
• Supports both quick Q&A and longer work (e.g., generating a report) within the same conversation.
• Work runs in the cloud, letting you start on a laptop and continue on a phone; progress persists after you close your laptop.
• If you previously used Cowork, your work remains where you left it.

Create documents, decks, or designs from any conversation

• No need to pick a separate tool to generate assets.
• Claude “thinks once,” then can produce a doc, slide deck, or design using the context already in the conversation.
• Example: after completing a report, switch to creating a deck without re-briefing.

New / Updated Capabilities and Guidance

• Slides editing is not limited to screenshots

  • Claude-generated slides can be edited by the user.
  • You can target specific content (e.g., highlight a paragraph) and instruct Claude to change only that part.

• Claude Docs (new) enables real-time collaboration

  • Team members can work in the same doc simultaneously with Claude.
  • People can mention Claude inside doc comments to request changes.

• Availability

  • Docs, Slides, and Design are available on all paid plans at the time of the recap.

• Quick pro tips / shortcuts

  • Let Claude choose the format by describing what you want.
  • Or specify a format directly using slash commands:
    • /slides to jump to slide deck creation
    • (Docs and designs are mentioned similarly.)

Model Changes Enabling the Updates

Switching models within the workflow

• Claude 5.5 (family of models) supports how you want to work.
• Start with Opus 5.5 while you’re figuring out what to do.
• Switch to Sonnet 5.5 for faster iterations once direction is clear.

Use-case emphasis for speed

• Sonnet 5.5 is positioned as faster for “quick rounds” of changes (e.g., tightening slides, swapping charts, trying different color palettes).

Main Speaker / Sources

• Anthropic team / narrator from Anthropic (video host) discussing the updates and offering the “pro tip.”
• Anthropic models and product components mentioned:
  • Claude (merged chat + Cowork)
  • Claude Docs
  • Slides / Design
  • Opus 5.5 and Sonnet 5.5