Anthropic invites enterprises to test letting Claude operate Chrome browser

Anthropic has begun testing a Chrome extension for its Claude AI assistant with 1,000 paying subscribers, positioning it as a potential enterprise productivity tool but raising fresh concerns about security and control in the browser.

The move brings Claude into direct competition with Microsoft’s Copilot in Edge and Google’s Gemini in Chrome, both of which are already weaving AI assistance into everyday workflows.

But while Copilot and Gemini are primarily designed to help with tasks like summarizing and answering queries, Claude for Chrome takes things further.

It can view the content a user is working on, take actions such as clicking buttons or filling out forms, and handle tasks directly within the browser.

This highlights how the AI industry is moving beyond simple question-answering chatbots toward autonomous systems capable of completing complex, multi-step tasks across software applications.

Anthropic’s rollout of Claude for Chrome is deliberately limited, framed as a debugging and security exercise rather than a full launch, underscoring how untested and fragile browser-based AI assistants remain.

“Some vulnerabilities remain to be fixed before we can make Claude for Chrome generally available,” the company said in a statement. “Just as people encounter phishing attempts in their inboxes, browser-using AIs face prompt injection attacks—where malicious actors hide instructions in websites, emails, or documents to trick AIs into harmful actions without users’ knowledge.”

Security concerns of AI browsers

Analysts point out that the current browser privacy controls and plugins often provide an inadequate barrier, and AI extensions could deepen this vulnerability by collecting more data, potentially leading to a greater intrusion on user privacy and a weakening of overall security posture.

This raises questions about whether the technology is mature enough to be considered for broader deployment. Unlike standalone AI chat apps, a browser-based assistant may have a direct line to corporate SaaS tools, potentially creating a far greater risk surface if exploited.

“It’s critical to closely monitor and manage the use of these extensions,” said Neil Shah, VP for research at Counterpoint Research. “Any AI extension deployed in an enterprise environment must be enterprise-grade, task-specific, and governed by strict guardrails.”

That risk is far from theoretical. As highlighted in recent research, large language models (LLMs) can be tricked with tactics as simple as run-on sentences, poor grammar, or manipulated images.

It’s important to balance productivity gains with a strong governance framework, said Tulika Sheel, senior VP at market researcher Kadence International: “The answer isn’t to block innovation but to manage it by setting strict permissioning, sandboxing usage, and ensuring data policies are clear.”

Enterprise adoption challenges ahead

While Anthropic’s Claude for Chrome extension highlights growing interest in browser-based AI, third-party tools may struggle to gain traction in enterprise settings.

“Native browser agents from Google (Gemini) and Microsoft (Copilot) are building deep, system-wide integrations into their ecosystems, making it challenging for competitors to offer a truly seamless and holistic experience,” Shah said. “Furthermore, a significant point of friction for third-party extensions is their limited ability to transfer learned data and context across different devices within tightly integrated ecosystems, such as Apple and Google.”

This lack of interoperability could become one of the biggest barriers to broad enterprise adoption, leaving third-party agents at a disadvantage against vendors with tightly coupled platforms.

“But adoption isn’t only about integration,” Sheel said, “It’s also about differentiation. If Claude can prove it delivers safer, more reliable, or more context-aware assistance, enterprises will take notice. Security concerns may slow uptake, but strong positioning around trust and usability can open doors.”

For now, Claude for Chrome offers a glimpse of AI’s promise in the workplace and a reminder of the governance work ahead for CIOs.