Anthropic Launches Web Search API for Claude AI Models

Anthropic has released a web search API for its Claude AI models, enabling developers to access real-time information.

The API allows Claude to determine if a query requires current data, formulate relevant search queries, retrieve and analyse results, and provide answers with citations.

Developers can customise these services and set permissions for online searches. Organisations can enable or disable the search feature as needed. The update also enhances Claude’s deep-research capabilities, allowing it to scan enterprise accounts and specified websites.

The API’s launch aligns with AI companies’ efforts to enhance their models to attract new clients. Anthropic recently introduced a tool for integrating applications with Claude and an upgraded deep-research feature, enabling Claude to search enterprise accounts, websites and other sources.

“Developers can now augment Claude’s comprehensive knowledge with current, real-world data by enabling the web search tool when making requests to our API,” Anthropic stated in its release. “With web search, developers can now build AI solutions that tap into current information without needing to manage their own web search infrastructure.”

When the web search API is enabled, Claude employs its reasoning capabilities to determine whether a request requires current information or specialised knowledge. If a web search is deemed necessary, Claude generates a search query, retrieves and analyses results, and provides a response with citations.

Claude may refine its queries and conduct multiple searches, using prior results to inform subsequent ones. Developers can modify this behaviour and specify which domains Claude can or cannot search. Anthropic also allows developers to enable or disable web searches at the organisational level.

Web search is now available through the Anthropic API for Claude 3.7 Sonnet, the enhanced Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Claude 3.5 Haiku, priced at $10 per 1,000 searches plus standard token charges.

Apple–Anthropic Vibe-Coding Platform

Apple Inc is collaborating with Anthropic PBC to develop a new vibe-coding software platform that uses AI to write, revise and test code for programmers, Bloomberg reported.

The platform is an enhanced version of Xcode, Apple’s programming environment, integrating Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet model. Apple intends to deploy the software internally and has not yet decided on a public release.

Vibe coding utilises large language models (LLMs) to generate code from natural-language descriptions, bypassing manual coding.

This initiative reflects Apple’s use of AI to streamline internal workflows, aiming to accelerate and modernise product development, similar to strategies employed by companies like Windsurf and Anysphere, which provide popular AI coding assistants.