Anthropic PBC, the creator of the generative artificial intelligence chatbot Claude, today introduced an analysis tool that allows Claude to write and run JavaScript code.

Using the new tool, which is currently in preview, Claude can analyze data, perform complex math and create visualizations using code.

“When you need precise, verifiable answers from data, Claude now works more like a real data analyst,” the company said. “Instead of relying on abstract analysis alone, it can systematically process your data — cleaning, exploring and analyzing it step-by-step until it reaches the correct result.”

The new feature is available in Claude.ai, Anthropic’s web interface for the chatbot. It builds on Claude 3.5 Sonnet’s coding and data skills, which have been improved with a recent upgrade to the large language model. Anthropic added that although Claude has always been able to code, the analysis tool adds another layer to provide answers that are “well-reasoned” and “mathematically precise and reproducible.”

With the feature enabled, users can upload CSV files, PDFs and other data formats to have it analyzed by the tool to have it generate rich visualizations, including graphs, charts and other analyses. Using JavaScript code, the graphs are dynamic and interactive including pop-ups and other elements that make them more useful.

For example, a salesperson could upload global data for Claude to generate a trend chart for performance analysis, including mouse-overs that would display extra detail. An engineer could use the tool for disk and CPU logs on servers and the chatbot will display insights for resource utilization, including interactive plot points with extra notes. All this is done with JavaScript code so the user can ask the chatbot to change it on the fly.

Because this is within Claude’s chatbot interface, it also includes suggestions on potential follow-up questions or how the AI can enhance or modify the chart. The types of charts it can generate are numerous including trend lines, candle charts, pie charts, scatter plots and more.

OpenAI has a similar feature called Advanced Data Analysis, a data science tool that allows users to run mathematical calculations and visualize the results by talking to ChatGPT.

The new tool is currently available in feature preview for all Claude users today.

Image: Anthropic