Google Launches Gemini 2.5 Computer Use: AI Autonomously Browses Web and Fills Forms, Opening New Agent Era

Google introduces Gemini 2.5 Computer Use preview in October, granting AI agents the ability to navigate and interact with web pages through browsers, automatically analyzing user requests and executing complex operations like filling online forms. This technology competes with Anthropic's Claude Computer Use, marking a major shift from AI passive response to active task execution, opening unlimited possibilities for workflow automation.

Google Gemini 2.5 Computer Use AI agent autonomously browsing web and filling forms illustration
Google Gemini 2.5 Computer Use AI agent autonomously browsing web and filling forms illustration

New Milestone for AI Agents: From Conversation to Action

Google launched Gemini 2.5 Computer Use preview in October 2025, a technological breakthrough that transforms AI from merely answering questions to truly executing tasks. Through browser environments, Gemini 2.5 can autonomously navigate web pages, click buttons, fill forms, and submit data, achieving end-to-end automation of user intent. This development marks the official arrival of the AI Agent era, changing how people interact with the digital world.

Gemini 2.5 Computer Use Core Capabilities

Autonomous Browser Operations

Gemini 2.5 Computer Use’s core capability lies in genuine interaction with web pages through browsers. The system can understand web page structure, identify interactive elements (buttons, input fields, dropdown menus, etc.), and execute corresponding operations based on user commands.

Technical Implementation:

  • Visual understanding model analyzes webpage screenshots, identifying interactive elements
  • Natural language processing engine understands user intent
  • Decision system plans operational step sequences to achieve goals
  • Automation framework executes clicking, input, scrolling, and other actions
  • Real-time feedback mechanism adjusts strategies to handle unexpected situations

Complex Task Processing Capability

The system can not only execute single operations but also handle multi-step complex tasks. For example, the request “Book me an Italian restaurant for tomorrow at 7 PM” requires Gemini 2.5 to:

  1. Search nearby Italian restaurants
  2. Compare reviews and available reservation times
  3. Select suitable restaurant
  4. Navigate to reservation website
  5. Fill in date, time, number of people
  6. Input contact information
  7. Confirm reservation and screenshot notification to user

The entire process involves multiple website navigation, form filling, and information verification, demonstrating AI agent’s end-to-end task execution capability.

Automated Form Filling

Online form filling is a key application scenario for Gemini 2.5 Computer Use. The system can:

Intelligent Data Extraction: Extract relevant information from user’s previous conversations or personal database, automatically filling in name, address, phone, email, and other fields.

Contextual Judgment: Understand form context, correctly selecting dropdown menu options, checking checkboxes, uploading necessary documents. For example, selecting “Software Engineer” rather than “Student” in “Occupation” field.

Verification and Correction: Check before submission whether required fields are complete and formats correct (such as email format, phone number digits), automatically correcting common errors.

Multilingual Support: Handle forms in different languages, automatically translating and mapping fields, lowering barriers to using cross-border services.

Technical Architecture and Implementation

Multimodal Understanding

Gemini 2.5 integrates visual, text, and voice modalities for comprehensive webpage content understanding:

Visual Analysis: Capture webpage images, use computer vision models to identify layout, button positions, and text content. Compared to traditional DOM parsing, visual methods can handle dynamic rendering, Canvas drawing, Shadow DOM, and other complex situations.

Semantic Understanding: Analyze webpage HTML structure and text content, understand information hierarchy and semantic relationships. For example, identifying the subordinate relationship between “Name” field and “Contact Information” section.

Behavior Prediction: Based on extensive webpage interaction data training, predict possible results after clicking specific elements, planning the most effective operation path.

Security and Privacy Mechanisms

Authorizing AI to operate webpages involves sensitive information; Google designs multiple protections for security and privacy:

Explicit Authorization: Before executing any operations involving personal data or financial transactions, the system must obtain explicit user authorization. For example, before submitting credit card information, it displays content to be filled for user confirmation.

Data Encryption: All personal information uses end-to-end encryption; Google servers do not store plaintext passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive data.

Operation Logs: Records all operations executed by AI agent; users can view and revoke at any time. If unexpected behavior occurs, logs help track problem sources.

Sandbox Environment: AI agent runs in isolated browser environment, preventing malicious websites from exploiting AI permissions for attacks.

Comparison with Anthropic Claude Computer Use

Google Gemini 2.5 Computer Use competes directly with Anthropic’s Claude Computer Use, launched simultaneously in October 2025:

Gemini 2.5 Advantages:

  • Deep integration with Google ecosystem (Chrome, Android, Search)
  • Supports more languages (40+ vs Claude’s 20+)
  • Seamless collaboration with Google Workspace
  • Free tier provides basic features

Claude Advantages:

  • Stronger reasoning and planning capabilities (based on Claude 3.5 Sonnet)
  • Higher operational accuracy (reduced incorrect clicks)
  • More detailed task progress feedback
  • Enterprise-grade security certification (SOC 2 Type II)

Common Challenges:

  • Occasional failures when handling complex multi-step tasks
  • Requires manual intervention for CAPTCHAs
  • Dynamic content loading may cause element positioning errors
  • Compatibility issues with different website designs

Application Scenarios and Real-World Cases

Personal Productivity Enhancement

Administrative Task Automation:

  • Automatically fill government forms (tax filing, subsidy applications)
  • Book transportation tickets and accommodations
  • Manage online bill payments
  • Track online shopping order status

Information Collection and Organization:

  • Monitor specific topic news, compile summaries
  • Compare e-commerce platform product prices
  • Track job board new positions
  • Aggregate academic paper citation data

Enterprise Application Scenarios

Customer Service Automation: Enterprises can deploy Gemini 2.5 agents to automatically handle common customer requests. For example, order inquiries, return/exchange applications, billing issues—AI agents navigate enterprise systems, extract information, update records, significantly reducing manual customer service burden.

Data Entry and Migration: Migrate data from legacy systems to new platforms; AI agents automatically log into both systems, extract fields, map formats, batch input. Data migration projects that previously required weeks can potentially be shortened to days.

Competitive Intelligence Monitoring: Automatically track competitor website updates, product pricing changes, market activity releases, immediately notifying relevant teams.

Regulatory Compliance Checks: Regularly review whether enterprise websites comply with latest regulatory requirements (such as accessibility standards, privacy policies), automatically generating compliance reports.

Developer Workflows

Automated Testing: Developers can instruct Gemini 2.5 to simulate user operations, executing end-to-end tests. For example, “Register new account → Login → Add to cart → Checkout” flow, AI agent automatically executes and reports errors.

Multi-Browser Compatibility Testing: Automatically execute same operations in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and other browsers, compare result differences, identify compatibility issues.

Performance Monitoring: Regularly visit website key pages, measure load times, interaction latency, long-term tracking of performance metrics changes.

Technical Limitations and Challenges

Current Limitations

CAPTCHA Obstacles: CAPTCHA, reCAPTCHA, and other verification mechanisms are specifically designed to block automated programs; AI agents require manual intervention when encountering CAPTCHAs. While some simple CAPTCHAs can already be bypassed, complex image recognition remains challenging.

Dynamic Webpage Handling: Single-page applications (SPAs) heavily dependent on JavaScript rendering may have elements dynamically appear and disappear, causing AI agents positioning errors or improper operation timing.

Non-Standard UI Components: Websites using custom UI frameworks or non-semantic HTML make it difficult for AI agents to understand element functions. For example, buttons implemented with <div>, lacking semantic markup, are difficult to identify.

Contextual Understanding Depth: Facing tasks requiring deep contextual understanding, AI agents may make inappropriate decisions. For example, when selecting flights, unable to judge whether users accept layovers to save money or prioritize direct flight convenience.

Automation Abuse Risk: Malicious users may use AI agents for spam account registration, limited product scalping, ticket scalping, and other behaviors. Google needs to establish detection and prevention mechanisms.

Responsibility Attribution: If AI agents execute incorrect operations causing losses (such as booking wrong tickets, filling wrong amounts), should responsibility lie with users, Google, or third-party services? Legal frameworks remain unclear.

Employment Impact: Large numbers of customer service, data entry, and administrative assistant jobs may be replaced by AI agents, raising unemployment and social adaptation concerns.

Privacy Monitoring Concerns: AI agents need access to user browsing behavior and personal data; preventing data abuse and ensuring transparency are long-term challenges.

Integration with Google Ecosystem

Deep Chrome Browser Integration

Gemini 2.5 Computer Use launches first in Chrome browser, utilizing Chrome’s extension API and developer tools protocol to achieve precise webpage control. Future versions may integrate into Chrome core, providing smoother user experience.

Google Workspace Collaboration

Gmail Automation: AI agents automatically organize emails, flag important messages, draft replies, even automatically fill related forms based on email content.

Google Sheets Data Processing: Extract data from webpages to automatically fill spreadsheets, execute formula calculations, generate charts, establish automated reporting workflows.

Google Calendar Schedule Management: Parse schedule information from emails and chats, automatically create calendar events, set reminders, invite participants.

Android Mobile Device Extension

Google plans to extend Computer Use capabilities to Android devices. Users can use voice or text commands to have AI agents execute operations on phones: click apps, fill forms, capture and share screenshots. This will significantly increase mobile device automation levels.

Industry Impact and Future Outlook

AI Agent Market Competition

Gemini 2.5 Computer Use’s launch accelerates AI agent market competition:

Major Competitors:

  • Anthropic Claude Computer Use: Strong reasoning capabilities, enterprise market positioning
  • OpenAI Operator (rumored): ChatGPT integration, massive user base
  • Microsoft Copilot Vision: Windows and Office integration, enterprise advantages
  • Startups: Adept, Hyperwrite, Multion focusing on vertical domains

Accelerating Automation Revolution

AI agent proliferation will trigger a new wave of automation revolution, with impact scope exceeding manufacturing, extending to knowledge work and service industries:

Affected Occupations:

  • Customer service representatives (automatic handling of common questions)
  • Data entry clerks (AI agents replace manual input)
  • Administrative assistants (schedule arrangement, document processing automation)
  • Junior analysts (reduced data collection and organization work)

Emerging Career Opportunities:

  • AI agent trainers (optimize AI behavior and decisions)
  • Automation workflow designers (plan enterprise AI agent applications)
  • AI ethics supervisors (ensure AI use complies with regulations)
  • Human-machine collaboration experts (design human-AI collaboration models)

Technical Development Directions

Multi-Agent Collaboration: Future involves not single AI agents handling all tasks, but specialized agents collaborating. For example, “research agent” collects information, “decision agent” evaluates options, “execution agent” completes operations.

Continuous Learning Improvement: AI agents continuously optimize operational strategies through user feedback and success/failure experiences. Personalized learning makes agents increasingly understand user preferences and habits.

Cross-Platform Unification: Future AI agents may not be limited to web pages, extending to desktop applications, mobile apps, IoT devices, achieving seamless cross-platform automation.

How Developers Can Use It

API Access Methods

Google provides Gemini 2.5 Computer Use API; developers can integrate into their own applications:

Authentication and Authorization: Use Google Cloud project to apply for API key, set up OAuth 2.0 authorization flow, ensure secure access.

Basic Call Example:

from google import generativeai as genai

genai.configure(api_key='YOUR_API_KEY')
model = genai.GenerativeModel('gemini-2.5-computer-use')

response = model.generate_content({
    'task': 'Fill out the contact form on example.com',
    'data': {
        'name': 'John Doe',
        'email': '[email protected]',
        'message': 'Inquiry about pricing'
    }
})

print(response.status)  # 'completed' or 'failed'
print(response.screenshot)  # Screenshot of completed operation

Pricing Model

Free Tier: 500 API calls per month, suitable for individual developers and small project testing.

Standard Tier: $10 per thousand calls, suitable for small and medium enterprises applications.

Enterprise Tier: Customized pricing, including dedicated support, SLA guarantees, priority access to new features.

Best Practice Recommendations

Clear Task Definition: Provide clear operational steps and expected results, reducing AI misjudgment probability.

Error Handling Mechanism: Implement retry logic and failure notifications, ensure critical tasks don’t interrupt due to single failure.

User Confirmation Process: For sensitive operations (financial transactions, data deletion), must add manual confirmation steps.

Logging and Monitoring: Record all API calls and results, establish dashboards monitoring success rates, response times, and other metrics.

Significance for Taiwan Market

Localization Challenges

Traditional Chinese Support: Gemini 2.5 needs to accurately understand Traditional Chinese webpage structure and form fields, handle Taiwan-specific address formats, national ID number verification, etc.

Government Digital Services: Taiwan government promotes digital transformation; AI agents can help citizens fill online application forms, reducing digital divide. But must ensure compliance with personal data protection regulations.

E-Commerce and Financial Applications: Taiwan has high e-commerce and online banking usage rates; AI agents can simplify shopping comparison, transfer payment processes, enhancing user experience.

Industry Application Potential

SME Digitalization: Taiwan has numerous SMEs, many still relying on manual processing of orders, inventory, customer service. AI agents can provide low-cost automation solutions, enhancing competitiveness.

Cross-Border E-Commerce Support: Help Taiwan sellers automatically handle multi-country platform listing, order management, logistics tracking, lowering cross-border operation barriers.

Conclusion

Google Gemini 2.5 Computer Use’s launch marks a critical shift from AI “understanding” to “action.” Through autonomous browser webpage operations, form filling, and complex task execution, AI agents are redefining human-machine interaction models. While technology still has limitations and ethical legal issues await resolution, its potential is undeniable. In coming years, AI agents may become everyone’s digital assistant, automatically handling tedious tasks, allowing humans to focus on creative and strategic work. For developers, enterprises, and users, now is the best time to understand and experiment with this technology.

作者:Drifter

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更新:2025年10月22日 上午06:00

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