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Meet Claude’s New Artifacts Section

By Shannon Glennon, AI Technology Transformation Specialist, Syracuse University ITS 

Anthropic rolled out an update to Claude’s Artifacts section on Oct. 8, and it reached everyone at SU on Oct. 23. It now has five starting points for building things, including Motion, which turns your ideas into an animated video you can download. 

What’s an artifact? 

An artifact is anything Claude makes for you: a document, a deck, a design, a dashboard or an animation. You can edit it, come back to it and share it with a link. Everything saves in the Artifacts tab, so there’s no digging through old chats to find it. Yours shows what you made, and Shared with you shows what coworkers sent over. Artifacts stay private until you share them. 

What’s changed 

With prompting, Claude could already write documents, build decks and create animations for you. Now there’s a laid out plan to walk you through it. 

Five tiles, five things to try 

Under Make something new, click a tile, or just describe what you want in any chat. 

  • Docs: “Draft a one-page project brief for the onboarding revamp that I can share with the team.” 
  • Slides: “Turn these meeting notes into a five-slide deck for my team meeting.” 
  • Design: “Design a one-page flyer for a spring workshop in SU orange and navy.” 
  • Dashboard: Ask questions about your connected data in plain language and get charts that stay current. 
  • Motion: Keep reading. 

A quick look at Motion 

Motion animates what you give it, like a title card that slides in or a chart that builds itself, and it’s a nice way to liven up a slide or an email. 

  1. Click Artifacts, then click Motion. 
  2. Try: “Animate a 30-second explainer on how to request a software install, in three steps, using SU orange and navy.” 
  3. Ask Claude for changes or edit the text yourself, then export it as an MP4. 

Work on it together 

People with edit access can work in the same artifact at the same time and see each other’s changes as they happen. 

  1. Open the artifact from the Artifacts tab and click Share. 
  2. Add your coworkers by email or share it with your whole organization, and choose Can edit under Their access. 
  3. Send the link. Your coworkers need to be signed in to Claude to open it. 
  4. In a doc, select any text, add a comment and mention @Claude to have it make the change. 

 

AI Insights for October 27, 2026

This message was originally shared to subscribers October 27, 2026.

Upcoming Events

When AI can do it, should it? Join us for AI at Work on Nov. 18 from 2 to 3 p.m., where Pun To “Doug” Yung, a Meredith Professor Faculty Fellow in biomedical and chemical engineering, applies virtue ethics to everyday AI choices. Register today.

Want to get more out of Claude? The Claude 101 series continues with two more live sessions on Microsoft Teams, 1 to 2 p.m. on Nov. 19 and Dec. 17. Register for one or all. Missed the first sessions? You can watch the recordings here.

This Issue’s Tip: 8 Cybersecurity Tips for Using Claude

Claude can browse websites, work in folders on your computer and connect to your email and files. That’s a lot of access, so Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a good time to refresh your habits. Shannon Glennon shares 8 cybersecurity tips for using Claude, including how to spot AI-driven phishing and why you should always double-check Claude’s work.

News and Views

In Summary

AI agents are outpacing their safeguards. One hacker used them to break into more than 100 company websites, banks are finding unauthorized bots in customer accounts and the iSchool is researching ways to hold agents accountable. In academia, AI-written text is turning up in dissertations and peer reviews—even as 48% of employers say AI will make degrees more important.

Academia and Higher Education

Business Strategy and Industry Trends

Companies, Funding and Financial Developments

  • Anthropic Reveals Skyrocketing Growth and Spending Plans in I.P.O. Filing (The New York Times)
  • Anthropic Eyes $40 Trillion Market as Revenue Surges Ahead of IPO (PYMNTS)

Cybersecurity and Safety

  • An Open Letter on AI and Cybersecurity from the Scientific Community (Letter)
  • How One Hacker Used AI Agents and a Few Thousand Dollars to Break Into Scores of Sites (Reuters)
  • Jamie Dimon Tells Leaders to Ramp Up Cyber Defenses (The Wall Street Journal)
  • What Is PHP and Why Did It Spark a Global Cyber-Security Scramble? (BBC)
  • Scoop: Unvetted AI Agents Are Accessing U.S. Bank Accounts (Axios)

Ethics, Society and Human Impact

  • Scientists Are Finding AI May Make Us Remember Things That Never Happened (The Washington Post)

Governance, Policy and Regulation

  • AI Is Less Regulated Than Milk, Says Microsoft President (BBC)
  • Investing in the Public Benefit (Anthropic)
  • Notice of Order Regarding Exclusion and Removal of DeepSeek Products from Federal Civilian Executive Branch Information Technology Systems and Procurements (Department of Homeland Security)

Technology, Models and Innovation

  • Introducing Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full: Frontier Models for Agents (Meta)
  • Introducing Muse Spark Open, The Most Capable US Open-Weight Model to Date (Meta)
  • What a Group of A.I. Agents Talked About as Their Humans Had a Dinner Party (The New York Times)
  • Claude Haiku 5.5, Mistral Large 4, and Local Models for Mac and Windows (DeepLearning.AI)
  • We Don’t Have an AI Speed Problem. We Have an Architecture Problem. (Syracuse University)

Workforce and Jobs

  • AI Agents Are About to Flood the Workforce. No One’s Ready for It (Wired)
  • The Next Hurdle for AI Agents: Getting Websites to Let Them in (TechCrunch)
  • AI Adoption May Be Hampering Future Organizational Growth (HR Dive)
  • Agentic AI Is Exposing The Process Behind The Process (Forbes)

Access to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and other paywalled content is available to all students, faculty and staff with a valid Syracuse University NetID. Learn more.

Questions?

Email the AI Team at aihelp@syr.edu or book a session. In addition to emailing the team with your questions and ideas, you can check out a wide variety of resources and tutorials at ai.syracuse.edu.

If you received this email as a forward from a helpful colleague, you can subscribe online.

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

Which Model Do I Pick? 

By Shannon Glennon, AI Technology Transformation Specialist, Syracuse University ITS 

Between late September and early October, Claude got three upgrades: Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Claude Haiku 5.5. All three are smarter and faster than the versions they replace. That leaves one question every time you open a new chat: which one should you use? 

Here’s the short answer. Opus 5.5 handles complex work and everyday tasks. Sonnet 5.5 is the efficient pick for simpler tasks. Haiku 5.5 is the fastest for quick answers. 

 

Opus 5.5: Your all-around pick 

Released Sept. 22 

Opus 5.5 is the most capable model in the new 5.5 lineup, and it’s built to handle almost anything. It shines on work that takes careful thinking over many steps: pulling together a report from several sources, analyzing a big stack of files, planning a complex project or running a longer task in Cowork. It’s also a solid choice for everyday writing, summarizing and brainstorming. 

Sonnet 5.5: Efficient and quick 

Released Sept. 28 

Sonnet 5.5 is the efficient choice for simpler tasks. Use it to draft an email, clean up meeting notes, rework a paragraph or answer a straightforward question. It’s more than 30 percent faster than the last Sonnet and goes easier on your usage limit, so it’s a smart pick when you don’t need Opus-level depth. 

Haiku 5.5: Fastest for quick answers 

Released Oct. 7 

Haiku 5.5 is Anthropic’s fastest model yet. It’s made for short, simple requests where speed matters most: a quick fact check, a subject line for an email, a one-sentence summary or a fast rewrite. It’s also a big step up from the previous Haiku, so “small” no longer means “basic.” 

How to switch 

 

Click the model name in the bottom-right corner of the chat box to open the model menu, then pick Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5 or Haiku 5.5. It works best to choose your model when you start a new chat, so take a second to match the model to the task before you type your first prompt. 

8 Cybersecurity Tips for Using Claude 

By Shannon Glennon, AI Technology Transformation Specialist, Syracuse University ITS 

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a yearly reminder to build the small habits that keep your accounts and information safe. It’s a good time to talk about Claude, because it does more than answer questions now. It can connect to your email and files, browse websites and work in folders on your computer. That’s why these habits are worth a refresh. 

  1. Sign in with your NetID

Use your Syracuse University NetID and password every time you open Claude. That keeps your chats under the University’s agreement with Anthropic, which prohibits training the model with your data. A personal or free account doesn’t get that protection, so keep University work out of those. 

  1. Share only what the task needs

In Cowork, point Claude at a single folder instead of everything, since it can edit and delete whatever it can see. Anthropic’s Cowork safety guide has more tips. 

  1. Know how your data is handled

The University’s AI data and privacy page explains how Claude treats your information. The Claude FAQ covers topics like who owns what you put in and what Claude creates. 

  1. Stick to approved tools

The ITS AI guidelines list the tools approved for University data. If you add plugins or extensions to Claude, choose verified ones and review the permissions they ask for first. 

  1. Watch out for AI-driven phishing and deepfakes

Scammers use AI to copy writing styles, voices and faces, so a polished message isn’t automatically a safe one. Pasting a screenshot of a suspicious email into Claude is a quick way to spot warning signs if you are unsure. 

  1. Double check Claude’s work

Claude can sound confident even when it’s wrong. Verify before you share anything. 

  1. Protect your NetID

Your NetID unlocks Claude and your other University accounts, so keep the password strong and unique and keep multifactor authentication set up. You can manage your methods on the ITS MFA page. 

  1. Keep your software updated

Update your operating system, web browser and the Claude desktop app regularly. Updates patch the security flaws attackers look for. 

AI Insights for October 13, 2026

This message was originally shared to subscribers October 13, 2026.

Upcoming Events

When AI can do it, should it? Join us for AI at Work on Nov. 18 from 2 to 3 p.m., where Pun To “Doug” Yung, a Meredith Professor Faculty Fellow in biomedical and chemical engineering, applies virtue ethics to everyday AI choices. Register today.

Want to get more out of Claude? The Claude 101 series continues with three live sessions on Microsoft Teams, 1 to 2 p.m. on Oct. 22, Nov. 19 and Dec. 17. Register for one or all

This Issue’s Tip:3 Ways to Level Up Claude Cowork

You’ve set up Claude Cowork and handed off your first task. Now put it to work. In part two of our series, Shannon Glennon walks through three quick upgrades: global instructions Cowork follows on every task, plugin shortcuts in the slash menu and a scheduled task that has your Monday meeting prep ready before you sit down. Read 3 Ways to Level Up Your Claude Cowork and try one today.

News and Views

In Summary

Higher ed is already using AI, so the question is how safely. Half of security leaders rank protecting AI as their biggest gap, and OpenAI says its agents may have accessed systems at more than 100 organizations. Meanwhile, Dartmouth now authorizes an AI detector, UChicago is building AI-free spaces and EDUCAUSE urges stronger data governance and cybersecurity.

Academia and Higher Education

Industry Leaders

  • I Quit OpenAI Because Its Culture Is Broken (The Atlantic)
  • Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Decision to Pull the Trigger on Meta’s A.I. Agent (The New York Times)
  • Sam Altman to Decoded: ‘The World Should Accept Some Bad Things Happening’ for the Benefits of AI (Politico)

Policy, Law and Government

  • Florida Attorney General Seeks Temporary Injunction Against OpenAI Over AI Safety Risks (The Washington Times)
  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom Bans AI ‘Robo Bosses’ in Landmark State Law, Reversing His Earlier Veto (CNBC)
  • Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence (The White House)
  • Trump Launches America.gov, AI-Powered Government Services Hub (The Hill)
  • Trump Admin Freezes Green Cards at Major Tech Firms, Probes Student Exchange Visas (Time)

Safety, Security and Governance

  • What the C-Suite Needs to Know About AI Governance (CIO Dive)
  • Visa Joins Growing Alarm Over AI-Powered Risks (Reuters)
  • OpenAI Alerts 100+ Orgs That Its ‘Misaligned Models’ Attempted to Break in or Worse (The Register)
  • Scoop: AI Companies Plot “The Day After” (Axios)

Strategy and Leadership

Workforce and Jobs

  • AI Agents Are About to Flood the Workforce. No One’s Ready for It (Wired)
  • The Next Hurdle for AI Agents: Getting Websites to Let Them in (TechCrunch)
  • AI Adoption May Be Hampering Future Organizational Growth (HR Dive)
  • Agentic AI Is Exposing The Process Behind The Process (Forbes)

Access to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and other paywalled content is available to all students, faculty and staff with a valid Syracuse University NetID. Learn more.

Questions?

Email the AI Team at aihelp@syr.edu or book a session. In addition to emailing the team with your questions and ideas, you can check out a wide variety of resources and tutorials at ai.syracuse.edu.

If you received this email as a forward from a helpful colleague, you can subscribe online.

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!