Claude adds Skills for workflow automation and on‑brand presentations
Claude is about to get a bundle of “Skills” that automate the boring steps and crank out slides that match a brand’s look. Anthropic says the idea is to let users show Claude how they actually work, nudging a plain chatbot toward a more task-focused helper. The news shows up as a Pew Research poll still finds more people worried about AI than thrilled about it.
At the same time OpenAI hired a black-hole physicist for its science push, which probably means they’re digging deeper into niche expertise. In the latest AI roundup four fresh tools have hit the market, and a stash of community-made workflows keeps growing. Together these hints suggest a quiet shift: developers are tacking on niche functions to the same models, while the public stays cautious.
I wonder whether these modest upgrades will actually boost productivity or just add another layer to an already packed toolbox.
In today’s AI rundown: Anthropic's Skills teach Claude your workflows Pew poll shows global AI concern outweighs excitement Generate on-brand presentations with Claude Skills OpenAI recruits black hole physicist for science initiative 4 new AI tools, community workflows, and more LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ANTHROPIC Image source: Anthropic The Rundown: Anthropic just released Skills for Claude, a folder-based system that lets organizations bundle workflows, procedures, and executable scripts into packages their AI assistant can autonomously access when handling specific tasks. The details: Skills function as directory packages containing instruction files, code scripts, and reference materials that Claude loads dynamically based on task relevance.
Anthropic claims its folder-based approach lets Claude pull whole workflows on demand, think drafting a brief or pulling together on-brand slides. The first rollouts, Rundown AI and Posts, aim to speed up summaries and auto-generate content. Still, I’m not sure how smoothly teams will be able to teach Claude their own quirks without writing long prompts.
A Pew poll mentioned in the brief shows more worry than hype about AI worldwide, so pushback seems likely. Meanwhile OpenAI has hired a black-hole physicist for its science push, a move that hints at big plans, yet it’s unclear whether that will become usable tools for everyday users. The announcement also lists four new AI utilities and some community workflows, which suggests an expanding ecosystem, but there’s no word on how they’ll fit into existing stacks or what security looks like.
Bottom line: the Skills feature feels handy, but whether it will boost productivity or keep brand voice consistent is still an open question.
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Common Questions Answered
What are Claude Skills and how do they automate workflows?
Claude Skills are a folder-based system that allows organizations to bundle specific workflows, procedures, and executable actions. This enables Claude to load entire processes on demand, automating routine steps like generating briefs and assembling presentations according to a brand's visual language.
How does the Pew Research poll mentioned relate to the rollout of Claude Skills?
The announcement of Claude Skills coincides with a Pew Research poll finding that global concern about AI outweighs excitement. This context highlights the public sentiment surrounding AI advancements like Anthropic's new feature, which aims to make AI more practical and integrated into daily work.
What specific tasks do The Rundown AI and Posts Skills enable Claude to perform?
The Rundown AI and Posts Skills are the first offerings designed to create quicker summaries and automate content creation. These Skills allow Claude to generate on-brand presentations and other content by following the bundled workflows and procedures defined within the folder-based system.
What potential challenge does the article identify with teaching Claude specific procedures?
The rollout leaves open the question of how easily teams can teach Claude their specific procedures without extensive prompting. This suggests that while the Skills system is powerful, there may be a learning curve or complexity involved in accurately conveying unique organizational workflows to the AI.