On July 22, 2026 (US time), Anthropic released a new connector that lets you explore the "Anthropic Economic Index"—its dataset on how AI is actually being used across the economy—directly through the Claude assistant[1]. Just enable it from the connectors directory in claude.ai, and Claude will answer questions such as which occupations use AI the most or what kinds of tasks are being automated, drawing directly on the Index data. There is nothing to install, and setup takes about a minute.

What Is the "Anthropic Economic Index"?

The Anthropic Economic Index is an effort to measure, with real data, how AI is being used on the ground in the economy[1]. Drawing on a large volume of anonymized conversations on claude.ai, it continuously analyzes which occupations are adopting AI and which tasks it is being applied to[2].

Until now, the Index's data has been a useful resource for researchers, journalists, and policymakers. Still, reading through the published reports and raw data took some effort, and it was not easy to dig into questions relevant to your own interests. This connector aims to make that data accessible not just to specialists, but to anyone curious about how AI relates to their own work and daily life[1].

Explore the Data Just by Asking Claude

Using the connector is simple. In claude.ai, open the connectors menu, find the Anthropic Economic Index in the directory, and enable it. There is nothing extra to install, and it works in any conversation, with any Claude model[1].

You can ask questions the same way you would ask a colleague. For example, the following prompts return answers grounded in the Index data[1]:

  • "Which occupations use AI the most?"
  • "What are the most common ways people in Colorado use Claude?"
  • "What sorts of tasks do teachers use Claude for?"
  • "What kinds of tasks are people automating with AI? How has that changed over the past year?"

A good approach is to start broad, with something like "What does the Index say about my industry?", then drill down into specifics. For any answer that catches your eye, you can also ask Claude to show you the underlying data behind it[1]. Being able to trace answers back to their source, rather than just reading a summary, is what sets this apart.

What to Keep in Mind Before Using It

For all its convenience, the Index reflects patterns in Claude usage rather than the labor market as a whole. Anthropic is clear on this point, and Claude will point you back to the source data and its limitations as you explore[1]. Rather than taking the numbers at face value, it helps to stay mindful of exactly what the data measures.

Even without the connector, the full Index datasets remain freely available on Anthropic's website[1]. Researchers who want to analyze the data in depth can continue to work with the raw data directly, as before.

Summary

This connector is an attempt to let non-specialists interrogate a high-interest topic—the relationship between AI and work—through conversation. Against the vague anxiety of "how will AI change my job?", it now takes just a single question to surface a concrete clue in the form of real usage data. Try asking about your own industry or occupation first, and you may notice a gap between your impression and what the data actually shows.

Source: https://www.anthropic.com/news/anthropic-economic-index-connector

Source: https://www.anthropic.com/news/the-anthropic-economic-index