Technology Insights

People often approach Microsoft Copilot and Claude as an either-or choice. They want to know which one is better, which model is smarter, or which tool their organisation should standardise on. That is understandable, but it is not always the most useful way to look at it. Microsoft and Anthropic are separate companies, but Microsoft now uses selected Claude models in parts of Microsoft 365 Copilot. So, in some situations, the choice is not simply between Copilot and Claude.

Australian IT spending is set to hit A$172.3 billion in 2026, and AI is the engine driving most of it. The problem? Most finance teams never planned for what it actually costs. Australian organisations are expected to spend more than A$33.6 billion on public cloud services alone this year, up nearly 18% from last year, with AI infrastructure the fastest-growing line item. Server spending is projected to jump 30% as companies race to buy AI-optimised hardware. The investment c