What is Claude AI? Complete Guide to Anthropic's AI Assistant (2026)
Everything you need to know about Claude AI — Anthropic's AI chatbot and coding assistant. Features, pricing, capabilities, and how to get started.
What is Claude AI?
Claude AI is an artificial intelligence assistant created by Anthropic, a company founded by former OpenAI researchers Dario and Daniela Amodei. Claude is designed to be helpful, harmless, and honest — making it one of the safest and most capable AI assistants available.
You can use Claude through the web at claude.ai, through mobile apps, desktop apps, and through Claude Code — a powerful terminal-based coding agent.
Who Made Claude AI?
Claude is built by Anthropic, an AI safety company headquartered in San Francisco. Anthropic was founded in 2021 by former members of OpenAI who wanted to build AI systems with safety as a core priority.
Key people:
- Dario Amodei — CEO
- Daniela Amodei — President
Anthropic has raised billions in funding and is one of the most well-funded AI companies in the world.
What Can Claude AI Do?
Coding
Claude is one of the best AI models for coding. With Claude Code, it can:
- Write complete applications
- Debug complex issues
- Refactor entire codebases
- Generate tests
- Create documentation
Writing & Content
- Blog posts and articles
- Marketing copy
- Technical documentation
- Email drafts
- Creative writing
Analysis & Research
- Summarize long documents (200K token context window)
- Analyze data and spreadsheets
- Research complex topics
- Compare and evaluate options
Conversation
- Answer questions on any topic
- Brainstorm ideas
- Tutoring and education
- Problem-solving
Claude AI Models
| Model | Best For | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Claude 3.7 Sonnet | Best balance of speed and intelligence | Fast |
| Claude Opus | Maximum intelligence | Slower |
| Claude Haiku | Quick, simple tasks | Fastest |
How to Access Claude AI
Web & Apps
- Web: claude.ai
- iOS: Available on App Store
- Android: Available on Play Store
- Desktop: Mac and Windows apps
Claude Code (For Developers)
Install in your terminal:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bashAPI
For developers building applications:
pip install anthropicIs Claude AI Free?
Yes, Claude AI has a free tier with limited usage. For unlimited access:
- Pro: $20/month
- Max: $100-200/month
Detailed pricing guide → How to use Claude AI for free →
Is Claude AI Safe?
Claude is considered one of the safest AI assistants available:
- Built with Constitutional AI methodology
- Designed to refuse harmful requests
- Honest about limitations and uncertainty
- Clear data privacy policies
- Based in the US with transparent governance
Claude AI vs Competitors
| Claude | ChatGPT | Gemini | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Reasoning | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Context | 200K tokens | 128K tokens | 1M+ tokens |
| Safety | Best | Good | Good |
| Coding Agent | Claude Code | No | No |
Full comparison: Claude vs ChatGPT → Full comparison: Claude vs Gemini →
Getting Started
- Visit claude.ai and create an account
- Start chatting with Claude
- For coding, install Claude Code
- Explore our beginner’s guide
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