Anthropic’s Claude Can Now Control a Mac and Complete Tasks

Anthropic’s Claude AI can now control Macs and complete tasks on its own using Claude Cowork and Claude Code. The new agentic feature, which is now available as a research preview for Claude Pro and Max subscribers, also lets users assign tasks to Claude from their phone.

When enabled on macOS, the new computer use feature can take control of the mouse and keyboard on a Mac to complete tasks. Mac users still need to approve each app Claude can use, and they can also stop Claude at any point. Anthropic also implemented security safeguards to minimize risks of prompt injections.

“Claude will reach for the most precise tool first, starting with connectors to services like Slack or Google Calendar. When there isn’t a connector, Claude can directly control your browser, mouse, keyboard, and screen to complete tasks. It will scroll, click to open, and explore as needed, always asking for your explicit permission first,” Anthropic explained in the announcement.

Anthropic acknowledged that Claude’s computer use feature can make mistakes and may not succeed in performing tasks on the first try. The company also recommends users start with the apps they trust and not work with sensitive data. However, using Claude Cowork and Claude Code, the AI agent can open and edit files on a Mac, start a code task, take screenshots, and more while informing users of the progress in real time.

Last month, Perplexity launched a similar Perplexity Computer tool that works as an agent with tools that can execute tasks on its own. Perplexity Computer initially launched as a cloud-based agent available on the web desktop, iOS, and Android for Perplexity Pro and Max subscribers. However, there’s now a local version named Personal Computer that requires a dedicated Mac mini to run 24/7.