Microsoft Is Expanding Office 365 Copilot with Anthropic’s AI Models Beyond OpenAI

Microsoft is expanding its AI strategy by integrating Anthropic’s Claude models into Office 365 Copilot, moving beyond its existing reliance on OpenAI’s GPT models. This strategic move highlights Microsoft’s commitment to AI innovation, productivity, and diversification, ensuring that users of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook get the best possible AI-driven features.

Microsoft’s AI Diversification Strategy

Until now, Microsoft primarily used OpenAI’s GPT-4 and GPT-5 models to power Copilot features. However, the company will now bring in Claude Sonnet 4 from Anthropic, which it will access via Amazon Web Services (AWS). Interestingly, Microsoft pays Amazon for this integration, unlike OpenAI models, which are available at no extra cost due to Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI.

The decision to expand reflects Microsoft’s AI diversification strategy, where it is no longer dependent on a single partner. By including Anthropic’s technology, Microsoft is giving its Office 365 users access to a broader set of AI tools that enhance functionality and performance.

Why Anthropic’s Claude Models?

Executives at Microsoft believe Claude Sonnet 4 outperforms OpenAI’s GPT-5 in specific use cases, such as creating polished PowerPoint presentations, producing high-quality business documents, and generating professional outputs with a refined structure. What’s notable is that Claude Sonnet 4 isn’t even Anthropic’s flagship model, which signals its impressive capabilities and potential value for enterprise productivity.

No Impact on Copilot Pricing

Despite this major expansion, Microsoft Office 365 Copilot pricing remains at $30 per user per month. This ensures businesses, enterprises, and professionals can benefit from cutting-edge AI productivity tools without additional costs.

This development aligns with Microsoft’s broader plan to integrate multiple AI technologies. Beyond OpenAI and Anthropic, Microsoft also leverages xAI’s Grok models, offers AI coding tools in GitHub Copilot, and is developing its own models like MAI-Voice-1 and MAI-1-preview.

By adding Anthropic’s models into Office 365 Copilot, Microsoft ensures:

● Smarter AI assistance in Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

● Higher-quality content generation for presentations, reports, and documents.

● Increased reliability and choice for enterprise users.

● Future-proof productivity tools in a competitive AI landscape.

Meanwhile, OpenAI is also exploring independence from Microsoft, working on custom AI chips with Broadcom and launching a jobs platform to rival LinkedIn. This shows the intensifying global AI race, with Microsoft ensuring it stays ahead by balancing partnerships and in-house AI development. Microsoft’s integration of Anthropic’s Claude models into Office 365 Copilot is a forward-looking step that enhances AI-powered productivity, diversifies its ecosystem beyond OpenAI, and gives users smarter, more polished, and more reliable AI tools — all while keeping the pricing unchanged.