Computer-Use Agents: When AI Clicks the Desktop for You

Computer-use agents — models that see screens and click — moved from demos into enterprise trials. They shine where APIs are missing: old portals, supplier panels, desktop software.

Because the screen is visible and a wrong click is costly, start in a VM with session recording and human review; do not go straight to a production desktop.

List three legacy portal tasks and pilot one. If the task is stable and high-volume, classic RPA may still be simpler and cheaper.

Draw the boundary: stable high-volume paths stay scripted; ambiguous exceptions go to an agent with review.

Manager action: List three legacy portal tasks. Pilot one with a computer-use agent in a VM and human review of the recording.