Anthropic unveils new flagship AI model that is better at coding

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Anthropic says early testers reported that Opus 4.8 is also more likely to point out when it is not sure if its responses are accurate.

Anthropic says early testers reported that Opus 4.8 is more likely to point out when it is not sure if its responses are accurate.

PHOTO: REUTERS

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Anthropic is rolling out an updated version of its most powerful artificial intelligence model barely a month after the prior release, a bid to keep ahead of rivals like OpenAI and Alphabet’s Google.

The model, Opus 4.8, is better at carrying out coding tasks on behalf of users, as well as financial analysis and tasks that mimic the human process of reasoning, the company said.

Anthropic said early testers of the model reported that it is also more likely to point out when it is not sure if its responses are accurate.

The Claude maker is locked in a heated competition with OpenAI to deploy better artificial intelligence models and convince more business customers to pay for them.

In recent months, Anthropic has seen strong momentum for its AI coding offerings, as well as growing traction with consumers amid a stand-off with the Pentagon over AI safeguards.

The latest model arrives as San Francisco-based Anthropic is nearing the close of a new funding round at a more than US$900 billion (S$1 trillion) valuation, vaulting it ahead of OpenAI’s most recent valuation.

Anthropic and OpenAI are also both discussing going public as soon as the autumn of 2026, Bloomberg News has reported. BLOOMBERG

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