Anthropic launches personal finance feature in Claude, lets users connect bank accounts for money insights

After ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, now AI giant Anthropic has introduced personal finance feature to its chatbot Claude. Anthropic has announced the roll out of Personal Finance feature for its AI assistant Claude, enabling users to connect bank and card accounts and also ask questions about their finances in natural language. The company also said that the feature is created to help users get to better understand their spending, balances and transactions without switching between multiple banking apps. Presently, the company is rolling out the feature only for beta subscribers on Claude's Pro, Max and Ultra plans in the United States. As per Anthropic, users can now securely connect their financial accounts and also receive answers about their money, with Claude offering explanations in everyday language.Claude Personal Finance feature: What it doesUsers can ask questions such as where their money went this month, whether they are spending more than they earn, or what an APR is and how much interest they have been charged this year. Claude answers from the connected accounts’ balances and transactions, in everyday language, and explains unfamiliar terms. In an example from Anthropic, a user ten days from payday asks where their money went. Claude totals spending across linked accounts and sorts it by category. It then checks previous months, flags a membership renewal, and lists four payments due from checking before payday along with the amount that will be left.Claude can also look across all linked accounts for things that are easy to miss, such as duplicate charges, unexpected fees or a bill that has crept up over the year. Users can ask for a weekly spending chart, a calendar of what’s due or a dashboard of chosen numbers, and keep adjusting it.Focus on privacy and securityAnthropic emphasised that the new feature provides read-only access to financial data and cannot move, manage or invest a user's money. The company also noted that Personal Finance is not designed to provide investment advice and that users should verify important figures directly with their banks. Account connectivity is powered by financial data network Plaid, which allows users to authenticate directly with their banks. Anthropic said Claude does not see or request users' banking passwords. For connected accounts, Claude can access information such as account names, balances, credit limits and up to two years of transaction history.The company added that conversations conducted within the Personal Finance hub are not used to train its AI models. Users can also disconnect their accounts at any time, after which Claude can no longer access the associated dataNo ads or product salesAnthropic said Personal Finance carries no ads or sponsored recommendations. It also does not offer credit cards, loans or savings accounts of its own, so users get a straight answer.Getting started and what’s nextUsers who see Personal Finance in Claude’s sidebar can connect one account and ask a question, such as whether they can afford a trip this spring. Setup steps are in the Help Center.Anthropic called the launch a first step. For bigger financial decisions, it said, people are best served by Claude working alongside licensed professionals and regulated firms. The company said it is exploring how to enable that and wants to hear from banks, wealth managers and financial services firms that want to help shape it.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.