AI disrupts European markets and reshapes business automation

Events on 3–4 February 2026 highlight a significant shift in the use of artificial intelligence in business. US company Anthropic unveiled a new feature in its Claude Cowork platform, designed for legal departments to automate tasks such as contract reviews, compliance workflows and document sorting.

The announcement had an immediate impact on financial markets: several established European legal software and data publishing stocks fell sharply, including groups such as Thomson Reuters and RELX. Similar corrections affected related stocks exposed to the risk of AI disruption, reflecting investors’ concerns that AI agents could make some established business models obsolete.

This episode renews debate about the intelligent automation of professional service tasks and its potential effects on employment, productivity and the organisation of support functions. It also highlights the urgency for businesses to integrate AI strategically to remain competitive.

These developments come against a broader backdrop of uneven AI adoption in Europe, reinforcing the need for support programmes to help small and medium-sized businesses move from pilot projects to practical operational change.