Computer Use
A capability that lets an AI agent operate general-purpose software by controlling a mouse, keyboard, and screen — reading the display, clicking buttons, and typing into fields on the user's behalf. Enables automation of workflows that lack APIs, such as legacy applications or complex web UIs.
Related terms
- AI Agent
An autonomous AI system that can perceive its environment, make decisions, and take actions to achieve specific goals. Agents can use tools, interact with APIs, and coordinate with other agents.
- Agentic AI
AI systems that can act autonomously to accomplish goals, make decisions, and take actions with minimal human intervention. These agents can plan, reason, use tools, and adapt their approach based on feedback.
- Browser Agent
A specialization of computer-use agents scoped to web browsers. Uses accessibility trees or DOM alongside screenshots. Common for automating research, form submission, procurement flows. Higher reliability than full computer-use because the DOM provides structured context.
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Next steps
- Take the assessment— See where you stand
Call this framework and its tools from your own agent via the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. Works with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Zed, Continue, and the OpenAI Agents SDK.
Where this fits
Computer Use is part of the Agentic AI vocabulary used in the Generative AI Maturity Framework. See the full glossary for the complete set of 149 defined terms, or take the free maturity assessment to see where your organisation stands.