What is Computer Use?
TL;DR
AI capability to operate a PC directly via screenshots, mouse, and keyboard — pioneered by Anthropic.
Computer Use: Definition & Explanation
Computer Use is the capability for an AI model to perceive a PC's screen via screenshots and operate it directly using mouse clicks, keyboard input, and scrolling — autonomously driving normal desktop GUI applications. Anthropic introduced beta Computer Use with Claude 3.5 Sonnet in October 2024, and by 2026 it is in broad production with Claude Opus 4.7, OpenAI Operator, Google Project Mariner, and others. Unlike traditional RPA, no fixed coordinates or selectors are required up front: the model reads the screen and adapts, making it suitable for legacy web apps, custom internal systems, and frequently changing SaaS UIs. The trade-off is real risk of incorrect actions (deleting important files, accidental purchases, wrong transfers), so production deployments require strict guardrails: sandboxing, human approval steps, and complete action logging.