The Rise of "Computer Use" in AI

We think the biggest change in AI recently is not just a better chatbot. It is the fact that AI has finally learned how to use a mouse and a keyboard just like a person. For a long time we had to connect apps together using complicated "APIs" or wait for a specific integration to be built. But with the massive release of Claude 4.6 on February 5th and the updated Sonnet 4.6 on February 17th 2026 Anthropic has made "computer use" a reality. This is a massive movement because it means the AI does not need a special doorway into your software. It just uses the computer the same way you do.

At Projekt Rising we are seeing this change how people think about their daily tasks. If you have an old piece of accounting software or a CRM that doesn't talk to other apps you used to be stuck doing manual data entry. Now you can just tell the AI what needs to be done. It sees the buttons and it knows where to click. This is an incredible development that lots of people don’t realise how much time this will save them. The recent February 2026 updates have made these models 20% faster at complex workflows than the 4.5 versions from last year. It is moving us away from being "data entry clerks" and letting us just be the managers of the process.

How computer use actually works

The way it works is pretty simple to understand but very high tech. The AI takes screenshots of your desktop many times a second. It looks at those pictures to find where the "submit" button is or where the text box is. If you tell it to "find the latest invoice in my email and put the total into this spreadsheet" it actually opens the browser and does it. It is not just "simulating" the work. It is actually performing the actions.

This is why everyone is talking about Claude 4.6 right now. It is currently the leader in making this actually work for real business use. It also features a new 1 million token context window in beta which means it can remember an entire day of work without getting confused. We understand people get a bit nervous about this as it feels a bit weird and unnatural to see a cursor moving on its own. But this is where AI agent automation gets really interesting. Instead of writing code to connect two apps you just show the AI the workflow once. It is a bit like "vibe coding" but for your actual desktop.

Why you need a plan for this tech in 2026

Because the AI can now see your screen and click buttons it brings up a lot of questions about safety. You can't just let an AI loose on your company computer without some rules. This is why we talk so much about AI policy and readiness. You need to know what the AI is allowed to see and what it is allowed to click.

Just this month we saw reports of security flaws in open-source agents like Clawdbot (now called OpenClaw) where a malicious link could trick an agent into running bad commands. If an agent has access to your bank login or your private customer data you need a strategy in place. This isn't something you should be scared of but you definitely should be prepared. At Projekt Rising we focus on making sure your team is ready for this shift. We run AI workshops to show teams how to use these models safely. We want people to feel in control of the tech. When you understand the logic behind how Claude sees a screen it becomes much less intimidating. It just becomes another tool in the box like Excel or Word.

The future of the digital office

The era of manual "copy and paste" is basically over. In a few years we will look back and laugh at how much time we spent moving data from one window to another. With the release of specialised tools like Cowork in January and the new Claude Code updates this month the office is becoming a place where we manage outcomes instead of doing clicks. It is a more human way to work because it lets us use our brains for the hard decisions while the AI handles the repetitive stuff.

If you are wondering where to start we suggest looking at the task you hate doing the most. The one that requires you to open three different tabs and move numbers around for an hour. That is exactly what this new era of AI is built for. If you want to talk about how to get this set up in your business you can look at our AI resources page. Our team can help you figure out if your business is ready for "computer use" agents or if you need to get your policies sorted out first. The tech is moving fast but we believe it is moving in a direction that makes work a lot better for everyone.