Anthropic on Tuesday announced a new Claude feature that some users should appreciate. The chatbot can now create files for you based on the instructions you provide in a prompt. Claude can generate its responses and provide the files you wanted for download. The chatbot can deliver the type of file you requested, whether it’s a PDF or a file you can edit with the Microsoft 365 productivity suite (Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations). The documents Claude generates will also work with Google Drive and Docs.
The new Claude feature is available only for the more expensive subscription tier, including Claude Max, Team, and Enterprise users. Anthropic said that Claude Pro users will get support for document creation in the coming weeks.
The company explained in a blog post that Claude will process documents in a private computer environment “where it can write code and run programs to produce the files and analyses you need.” You can upload files to Claude while you’re chatting with the AI, and ask the chatbot to extract data from them and create specific files based on your prompt. Claude will generate those files, which will include the type of content you asked for, whether it’s an analysis, a complex spreadsheet for tracking your business details, or PowerPoint slides based on the documents you upload.
The new Claude feature can save considerable time, especially for tasks involving the creation of spreadsheets like the one in the example below. Anthropic advises users to start with simple tasks before moving to more complex prompts. Also, Anthropic warns the feature gives Claude internet access to create and analyze files, which can put your data at risk. A new support document should provide additional safety information about the new file creation feature.
How to enable file creation in Claude
If you have access to a Claude premium subscription that supports file creation, you can upload the feature from the app’s settings menu. Head to Settings > Features > Experimental to find and enable the “Upgraded file creation and analysis” option. That’s all you need to do to have Claude generate files for you based on your prompts.
Anthropic’s video above shows an example of an interaction with Claude that will lead to file creation. The user uploads documents to Claude and gives the AI the following prompt: “Running a small food truck fleet. I’ve been flying a bit blind. Finally pulled together sales data (attached) but honestly don’t know what to do with it. What patterns am I missing? What’s actually driving revenue vs what I THINK is working? I need someone to spell out the top 3 – 4 opportunities with clear visuals. Can you package this up in a Google Doc? Like a real analysis I’d get from a consultant!”
Claude analyzes the files and produces a document titled “Food truck consulting report” that the user can save to Google Drive or download on their computer. The video shows the user opening the file and looking at the insights Claude came up with based on the business docs the AI saw. The user returns to the same conversation, asking Claude to create an Excel file where various price points for food items can be tested. Claude processes the new request and provides an interactive spreadsheet to download. The Excel document allows the user to make desired changes and test product prices.
A few weeks ago, Anthropic gave Claude the ability to remember past conversations. That’s a feature that might work well with the new file generation capability.
