Anthropic’s Claude chatbot can now run and write code
Anthropic has announced a new feature for its Claude AI model that lets users write JavaScript code and run it directly on Claude.ai. Dubbed the “analysis tool,” this built-in code sandbox allows Claude to perform complex data processing, conduct analyses, and deliver real-time insights — all with increased mathematical precision.
Previously, Claude could generate code but it could not test it directly. With the analysis tool, the model moves closer to functioning as a hands-on data analyst, capable of processing CSV files, cleaning data, and visualizing results for clearer, more actionable outputs.
As Anthropic notes in the announcement, "Instead of relying on abstract analysis alone, it [Claude] can systematically process your data—cleaning, exploring, and analyzing it step-by-step until it reaches the correct result."
Expanding Claude’s Utility Across Industries
The new analysis tool is designed to cater to a wide range of industries, providing practical applications tailored to specific departments:
Marketing: Marketers can analyze customer journey data in-depth, surfacing trends and identifying strategies to optimize conversions.
Sales: Sales teams can break down global sales data to monitor performance by region, helping them target resources more effectively.
Product Management: Product teams can evaluate customer engagement data, guiding priorities for upcoming sprints or releases.
Engineering: Engineers can use Claude to sift through server performance logs, pinpointing areas for better resource utilization.
Finance: Finance professionals can generate dashboards to monitor financial health metrics, supporting data-driven decision-making.
The model is also likely to appeal to other areas such as healthcare, where it could assist researchers in analyzing medical data, and in logistics, where managers might use it to optimize supply chain operations.
Comparison to competitors: A new edge in the AI race?
Claude’s coding and analysis capabilities align it with top-tier competitors like Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s flagship models, both of which also offer code execution. Gemini’s Code Execution feature uses Python to perform iterative code generation, which allows the models to refine their outputs based on results.
Similarly, OpenAI’s models include an Advanced Data Analysis feature, offering Python code execution within a sandbox environment to process large datasets or solve complex problems. Claude’s JavaScript-based approach is unique and positions it as a practical tool for web-based and real-time data analysis, potentially appealing to professionals who need insights quickly.
How to access Claude’s New Analysis Tool
The analysis tool is available to all Claude.ai users in the feature preview, allowing early adopters to test out its capabilities for free. Users can simply log into Claude.ai, access the analysis tool, and begin working with real data using JavaScript code—an easy entry point for those familiar with coding or those seeking to leverage data insights in decision-making.
