Anthropic just released something that's getting the AI community buzzing - their Computer Use API. I couldn't wait to take it for a spin, so I decided to try something ambitious: teaching Claude to evaluate an e-learning course. Here's what happened when I gave an AI its first job as an instructional designer.
Think of the Computer Use API as giving Claude (Anthropic's AI) actual hands to work with a computer. Instead of just chatting about doing things, it can now actually do them - click buttons, type text, navigate websites, and even analyze what it sees on screen. It's like the difference between describing how to ride a bike and actually getting on one.
First things first - safety. While having AI control a computer sounds cool, letting it loose on your actual machine probably isn't the wisest idea. That's why I set up a containerized environment with two parts:
I decided to test Claude's abilities with what we call a "zero-shot prompt" - basically giving it all instructions upfront and seeing if it could figure things out on its own. No hand-holding, just a clear mission: log into an e-learning platform, go through a course, and provide meaningful feedback.
The most fascinating part? Claude operates like a meticulous student. It:
When something unexpected happens (like a popup or an unclear button), it actively tries to problem-solve rather than just giving up.
Here's what I learned from the experiment:
One particularly interesting moment came when Claude encountered a multiple-choice question. It actually recognized that all options were correct, even though the course was designed as a single-select question. Unfortunately, it didn't include this observation in its feedback - a missed opportunity for course improvement!
This initial test suggests some exciting possibilities for AI in educational technology. While there are still kinks to work out (like those pesky rate limits and occasional interface misinterpretations), the potential is clear. Imagine AI assistants that could:
This was just a first look at what's possible with the Computer Use API. Stay tuned for more experiments - I've got some interesting ideas for pushing Claude's capabilities even further. If you're interested in trying it yourself, remember to:
Have you tried the Computer Use API yourself? I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments below!
This post is part of my ongoing exploration of AI capabilities and their practical applications in educational technology. Follow along for more hands-on experiments and insights!