"At the low end, this looks like the "deep research" tools AI firms have already released that search the web and synthesize information on your behalf, attempting to automate the task of using Google. More theoretically, it might mean models trained to use productivity software in a work context, which may then be used to attempt to automate increasingly complicated jobs."
"So far, the results of such an approach have been mixed: Computer-use agents and self-clicking AI browsers make for great demos but struggle to offer obvious utility to most people. One might argue for a different path to broadly useful and flexible AI agents, one that doesn't take a long detour through web interfaces designed for human cursors and thumbs."
"Or, as many in the AI industry would have it, you might argue instead that this is an obvious first step and that these tools don't yet work well only because they haven't been adequately trained and because they don't have enough access to the types of sites they're intended to use. That's how you get, as reported by Cade Metz at the New York Times, AI start-ups making training-ready replicas of websites, including Gmail, Airbnb, and United Airlines:"
Software is being developed to use computers on behalf of users, ranging from AI "deep research" tools that search and synthesize web information to models trained to operate productivity software. Tech companies demo agentic capabilities like booking flights, making reservations, and comparison shopping, effectively automating cursor-driven web interactions. Results so far are mixed: browser-using agents perform well in demos but offer limited practical utility. Some argue for alternative approaches that avoid web-interface emulation. Others pursue large-scale training, including creating training-ready replica "shadow" sites of platforms like Gmail, Airbnb, and United Airlines to improve agent performance.
Read at Intelligencer
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