Microsoft’s new ‘computer use’ feature lets AI agents handle data entry, market research | Technology News

Microsoft has announced a new feature that lets AI agents autonomously click through on-screen buttons, select data, and fill out text fields at the user’s behest.
The new computer use feature is accessible through the tech giant’s Copilot Studio platform. It has currently been released under research preview for select users with early access privileges.
As part of the computer use feature, AI agents will be able to automate tasks across any desktop and browser apps, including Edge, Google Chrome, and Firefox. “If a person can use the app, the agent can too,” Microsoft said in a blog post published on Tuesday, April 15.
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“Imagine a scenario where an enterprise needs to input large volumes of data from various sources into a centralized system. Computer use can automate this process, reducing manual effort and minimizing errors,” the company said.

Starting today, we’re bringing computer use agent capabilities to Copilot Studio – enabling anyone to build agents that take action on the UI across both desktop and web apps. Excited to see what this unlocks! https://t.co/4hq0N0k0pz
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) April 15, 2025
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It can also be used to automate other support tasks such as market research and invoice processing. The AI agents deployed as part of the computer use feature will be able to carry out tasks even without an API, as per the company.

Microsoft further said that its computer use feature has built-in reasoning capabilities that enables the AI agents to fix issues on their own and carry out tasks without interruption. Exing AI agent-based tools like OpenAI’s Operator and Manus reportedly require human intervention when faced with CAPTCHA blocks.
“When buttons or screens change, the tool keeps working without breaking your flow,” Microsoft said. Users can choose to see a hory of the activities undertaken the AI agents, including what screenshots were captured as well as the steps they took to reason and solve an issue.Story continues below this ad
In terms of security and privacy measures, Microsoft said that enterprise data submitted to the AI agent-based tool will not be used to train its AI models. “Additionally, computer use runs on Microsoft-hosted infrastructure, meaning organizations don’t need to manage their own servers,” the post read.
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