Anthropic Debuts Autonomous AI Agents as Virtual Collaborators, Predicts AI Will Replace All Human Tasks

At Anthropic’s inaugural developer conference in San Francisco on Thursday, CEO Dario Amodei made a stark prediction: every task human workers perform today will eventually be carried out by AI systems. He described this shift as inevitable. The event, which drew almost 500 participants, focused on bringing a “virtual collaborator” to life—an autonomous agent designed to work alongside teams and tackle a wide range of functions.

Breakfast sandwiches were served as attendees chatted in small groups, dressed casually under company-issued caps. Amodei took the stage alongside Mike Krieger, Anthropic’s chief product officer. Krieger asked a pointed question about the future of business. “When do you think there will be the first billion-dollar company with one human employee?” he posed. Amodei, sporting a light-gray blazer and running shoes, paused only briefly before replying, “2026.”

In an informal moment off stage, a spokesperson revealed that staff have nicknamed this iteration of Amodei “professor panda.” The handle refers to his blend of laid-back attire and academic manner. A stuffed panda appears in his Slack avatar, reinforcing the motif. That playful image sits beside a vision that is anything but whimsical—a future where AI agents become fully autonomous extensions of the workforce.

The idea of autonomous collaborators surfaced early in the program. Krieger emphasized that these agents are intended to support, not replace, workers. “Engineers will evolve from coding by hand to supervising several AI agents,” he said. He pointed out that tasks can range from basic script edits to complex, cross-platform development work. Such tools have slashed technical onboarding from two or three weeks down to two or three days.

Cofounder Jack Clark has described a future in which individuals manage fleets of AI agents. Amodei underscored that human oversight remains crucial, at least for now. He singled out the latest Claude model, Opus, for its strength in cybersecurity and biomedical research. That enthusiasm underpins a new initiative offering as much as $20,000 in API credits to scientists in biology and genetics.

Opus 4 carries a higher risk classification than any previous Anthropic release. Under the company’s Responsible Scaling Policy, it ranks at the maximum level for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear concerns. The designation reflects the model’s enhanced capabilities in areas with sensitive applications, prompting tighter controls and review procedures.

At the core of Anthropic’s vision is the notion that AI will move from advisory roles into independent contribution. Amodei described the upcoming agent as capable of handling research summaries, drafting code, and auto-generating documentation without constant human prompts. “I think we’re just at the beginning of what we can do with the new generation of model in terms of tasks,” he said, pointing to scenarios where such agents operate across multiple workflows with minimal oversight.

Interest in biotech has skyrocketed since Anthropic began evaluating Claude’s performance in specialized fields. Scientists in genetics and molecular biology have reported faster literature reviews and predictive modeling. Anthropic expanded its researcher program after finding that “the model’s abilities in biology are substantially better,” according to Amodei. Recipients of the credits are expected to share their outcomes, helping the company refine its tools for critical research areas.

Krieger also noted improved developer productivity and faster error detection.

Once the morning keynote wrapped, journalists were guided from the darkened auditorium to an open-air deck bathed in sunlight. Amid scattered snack stations and branded merchandise, reporters picked up magnets and tote bags stamped with “Code w/ Claude.” Casual chatter mixed with the hiss of carbonated drinks as the media group waited to reenter for a closed-door briefing.

In that session, Amodei and Krieger fielded questions about AI’s deepening role in software development. Earlier this year, Amodei had projected that “90 percent of code” will be authored by AI within six months. Today, Krieger offered a real-world update: “Something like over 70 percent of our pull requests are now Claude code written.”

When asked how engineers are spending their freed-up time, Krieger answered that they are orchestrating the AI-generated codebase and attending strategy meetings. He noted the broad spectrum of duties required in engineering roles—planning, review, integration—revealed just how multifaceted the work remains even as AI takes the lead on syntax.

Discussion also touched on a forthcoming compute cluster with Amazon Web Services. Amodei indicated that research is already underway on parts of that infrastructure. A journalist asked about possible job losses linked to AI efficiency gains. “I don’t think you can offload your company strategy to something like that,” Krieger replied, stressing that human leaders will retain control over long-term planning.

Despite a request to avoid policy topics, Amodei offered thoughts on a Trump administration proposal to bar state-level AI regulation for ten years. He compared the move to removing a car’s steering wheel and forbidding anyone from reinstalling it. “If you’re driving the car, it’s one thing to say ‘we don’t need the steering wheel now,’” he said. “It’s another to rip it out and lock it away.”

Security remains at the top of Amodei’s mind. He described a competitive landscape where some players might cut corners to speed development. The core challenge for Anthropic, according to him, is balancing rapid progress with thorough safety evaluations. “You might have heard this stereotype that the safest companies are the slowest,” he said. “That is not what we found at all.”

Private conversations followed in a series of intimate sessions with leading figures behind the models. Researcher and philosopher Amanda Askell discussed ethics and governance. Cofounder Chris Olah spoke on technical breakthroughs. Jan Leike shared insights on alignment research. Each session drew small audiences eager to dig into the mechanics of large-scale AI training and oversight.

As the final discussions concluded, attendees streamed out to waiting ride-hail vehicles or gathered for an evening reception nearby. The timing of this conference, organizers said, reflects Anthropic’s growth—in just twelve months the headcount jumped from roughly 650 to 1,300 employees. At a valuation of $61.5 billion, the company that once cast itself as the cautious alternative in a fast-paced field now embraces a higher profile and broader ambitions.