Cowork (Anthropic, launched January 2026) and Codex (OpenAI, pivoted from coding in April 2026) are desktop applications that put a frontier AI model inside a harness with file access, enterprise connectors, and reusable skill files to execute knowledge work tasks autonomously.
What they do
You describe an outcome. The system reads your files, pulls context from connected tools, performs the work, and delivers a finished result.
Early implementation
Zapier deployed across marketing, engineering operations, and influencer teams. Thomson Reuters piloted for legal.
What works
Multi-source synthesis from documents, reusable workflows saved as skill files, operational dashboards pulling from multiple data systems, document and slide generation tied to source files.
What does not work yet
No audit logs or compliance exports on either product. Neither cleared for regulated workloads.
“
The destination is a desktop agent that does all computer work.