Technology
OpenAI Wants ChatGPT to Become the Way People Use Computers
OpenAI is moving closer to one of its long-standing ambitions: creating AI agents that can use computers and web browsers with the kind of flexibility...
By Wavers Multimedia
The company has spent years developing technology that allows ChatGPT to interact with software, websites and other digital tools. In 2026, OpenAI introduced several computer-use capabilities, including a Chrome extension, cloud and in-app browsers, and Computer Use integration with its Codex coding tool.
The goal is to make ChatGPT capable of doing more of the work itself rather than simply telling users how to do it.
From answering questions to completing tasks
OpenAI's computer-use technology can interact with websites and applications to perform tasks such as data entry, compliance work and calendar scheduling.
The technology can also be used alongside Codex to test software. One developer in the Czech Republic used it while rebuilding the 2013 game SimCity, allowing the system to open the game and check whether features such as car movements and building images were working properly.
OpenAI's Ari Weinstein said the company's longer-term ambition is for ChatGPT to operate computers and software faster than people can.
That could eventually change how users interact with their computers, with people giving instructions to an AI instead of manually navigating different applications and websites.
How OpenAI is training the technology
Teaching an AI to use a computer requires more than the data used to build a conventional language model.
OpenAI has used computer-task data and human demonstrations to help its models learn how actions on a computer lead to particular results. The company has also used reinforcement learning, allowing models to improve by receiving rewards for successfully completing virtual tasks.
The way ChatGPT understands websites has also changed.
Earlier versions relied heavily on screenshots: the system would look at the screen, analyse the pixels, make a computer action and then repeat the process. Newer versions can also access information contained within a webpage, including its structure, accessibility information and links.
Screenshots remain part of the system, however, and users are asked to allow screen recording when setting up Computer Use.
OpenAI wants ChatGPT to work across the internet
OpenAI's computer-use team sees a larger opportunity in allowing AI agents to interact with the many websites and online systems designed primarily for human users.
The technology is already being used for tasks involving online forms, scheduling, data entry and other repetitive computer work.
But there are still limitations. Researchers say computer-use agents can perform well in specific areas where they have sufficient training, while operating reliably across any website, application or operating system remains difficult. The current system can also be slow when handling tasks such as responding to emails or scrolling through social media feeds.
OpenAI's aim is to make those interactions faster and more reliable as its models improve.
Security remains a major concern
Giving AI access to a computer also creates significant privacy and security risks.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman previously warned that users should give computer-using agents only the minimum access needed to complete a task.
Security experts have raised concerns about sensitive information, passwords and other private data being exposed when an AI agent is allowed to operate without supervision.
OpenAI is also working on rules for when the system should ask users for permission before taking an action. For now, the company says actions involving transmitting data or deleting information should require user confirmation.
OpenAI's computer-use push therefore represents a significant shift in what ChatGPT is designed to do. Instead of remaining a system people mainly consult, the company wants it to become a tool that can increasingly operate software, navigate the internet and complete computer-based work on their behalf.