Breakthrough in AI: Anthropic and Microsoft Models Threaten Office Workers

The technology industry has entered a phase of extreme acceleration, confirmed by the release of new models from Anthropic. Just 12 days after the debut of the powerful Claude Opus 4.6 system, the startup presented the Sonnet 4.6 model. The new tool offers the performance of flagship units at five times lower operational costs, drastically reducing barriers to corporate adoption. This model demonstrates particular proficiency in programming and agentic planning, enabling the autonomous execution of complex business processes without direct human supervision. Since the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, automation primarily concerned physical labor; the current transformation is unprecedented as it for the first time impacts professions based on cognitive skills. Simultaneously, Mustafa Suleyman, head of the AI division at Microsoft, formulated a radical forecast regarding the future of employment. In an interview with the „Financial Times”, he stated that within 18 months, artificial intelligence will be capable of replacing humans in most tasks performed at a desk. „Artificial intelligence will achieve human-level efficiency in most professional tasks within a year and a half.” — Mustafa Suleyman Sectors such as accounting, law, marketing, and project management are at risk. Stock market investors are already reacting to these reports by selling off shares of companies in logistics, advertising, and real estate consulting. 18 months — separates us from full automation of office work Experts, including Matt Shumer, emphasize that the scale of ongoing changes is underestimated by the public. His manifesto „Something Big Is Happening” gained immense popularity, pointing to the inevitable transformation of the social structure. Although OpenAI remains the market leader, the pace set by Anthropic forces the entire industry into a price and technology war. As a result, productivity of algorithms is growing faster than the ability of legal and educational systems to adapt. [{"aspect": "Operating cost", "before": "Standard Opus price", "after": "1/5 price (Sonnet 4.6)"}, {"aspect": "Coding performance", "before": "Expert level", "after": "Exceeds IT standards"}, {"aspect": "Availability for companies", "before": "Limited by costs", "after": "Mass scale"}] Liberal and technology media emphasize the democratization of access to high intelligence and the potential for economic growth through lower costs. | Conservative media warn of sudden labor market destabilization, loss of worker dignity, and lack of social safety nets for those laid off.