Source URL: https://simonwillison.net/2025/Jan/23/introducing-operator/
Source: Simon Willison’s Weblog
Title: Introducing Operator
Feedly Summary: Introducing Operator
OpenAI released their “research preview" today of Operator, a cloud-based browser automation platform rolling out today to $200/month ChatGPT Pro subscribers.
They’re calling this their first "agent". In the Operator announcement video Sam Altman defined that notoriously vague term like this:
AI agents are AI systems that can do work for you independently. You give them a task and they go off and do it.
We think this is going to be a big trend in AI and really impact the work people can do, how productive they can be, how creative they can be, what they can accomplish.
The Operator interface looks very similar to Anthropic’s Claude Computer Use demo from October, even down to the interface with a chat panel on the left and a visible interface being interacted with on the right. Here’s Operator:
And here’s Claude Computer Use:
Claude Computer Use required you to run a own Docker container on your own hardware. Operator is much more of a product – OpenAI host a Chrome instance for you in the cloud, providing access to the tool via their website.
Operator runs on top of a brand new model that OpenAI are calling CUA, for Computer-Using Agent. Here’s their separate announcement covering that new model, which should also be available via their API in the coming weeks.
This demo version of Operator is understandably cautious: it frequently asked users for confirmation to continue. It also provides a "take control" option which OpenAI’s demo team used to take over and enter credit card details to make a final purchase.
The million dollar question around this concerns how they deal with security. Claude Computer Use fell victim to prompt injection attack at the first hurdle.
Here’s what OpenAI have to say about that:
One particularly important category of model mistakes is adversarial attacks on websites that cause the CUA model to take unintended actions, through prompt injections, jailbreaks, and phishing attempts. In addition to the aforementioned mitigations against model mistakes, we developed several additional layers of defense to protect against these risks:
Cautious navigation: The CUA model is designed to identify and ignore prompt injections on websites, recognizing all but one case from an early internal red-teaming session.
Monitoring: In Operator, we’ve implemented an additional model to monitor and pause execution if it detects suspicious content on the screen.
Detection pipeline: We’re applying both automated detection and human review pipelines to identify suspicious access patterns that can be flagged and rapidly added to the monitor (in a matter of hours).
Color me skeptical. I imagine we’ll see all kinds of novel successful prompt injection style attacks against this model once the rest of the world starts to explore it.
My initial recommendation: start a fresh session for each task you outsource to Operator to ensure it doesn’t have access to your credentials for any sites that you have used via the tool in the past. If you’re having it spend money on your behalf let it get to the checkout, then provide it with your payment details and wipe the session straight afterwards.
Tags: prompt-injection, security, generative-ai, ai-agents, openai, ai, llms, anthropic, claude
AI Summary and Description: Yes
Summary: OpenAI’s new cloud-based automation platform, Operator, represents a significant development in AI agents, allowing users to delegate tasks through a web interface. Despite its potential for enhancing productivity, concerns have been raised about security, particularly regarding the risk of adversarial attacks such as prompt injections. This analysis highlights both the innovative aspects of Operator and the necessary precautions users should take to safeguard their data and transactions when using this new AI tool.
Detailed Description:
– **Introduction of Operator**: OpenAI has launched a new platform called Operator, which is designed for cloud-based browser automation and is currently available to a select group of ChatGPT Pro subscribers.
– **Definition of AI Agents**: The term “agent” is defined as AI systems capable of independently completing tasks assigned by users, signaling a trend towards increased automation and productivity enhancements in the workplace.
– **Comparison with Claude Computer Use**:
– The interface of Operator closely resembles Anthropic’s Claude Computer Use demo but operates as a fully cloud-hosted service rather than requiring users to manage their own hardware.
– **Underlying Technology**: Operator is built on a new model named CUA (Computer-Using Agent), which is expected to be accessible via API in the near future.
– **Security Considerations**:
– Previous models (like Claude) have faced security challenges, particularly with adversarial attacks, prompting OpenAI to implement enhanced security measures in Operator.
– Specific defenses mentioned include:
– **Cautious Navigation**: The model is programmed to recognize and ignore prompt injections, with reported success in internal testing.
– **Monitoring System**: An additional model is in place to monitor activity and halt execution if suspicious content is detected.
– **Detection Pipeline**: A framework for automating the detection of suspicious access patterns, coupled with human review to enhance response times.
– **Skepticism and Recommendations**:
– The author’s skepticism highlights concerns that new attack vectors will emerge as the tool is widely adopted.
– Recommendations for users include:
– Start a fresh session for each new task to limit exposure to past credentials.
– When authorizing financial transactions, provide payment information securely at the checkout without retaining access afterward.
– **Tags**: The text includes relevant tags that emphasize the focus on prompt injection, generative AI, AI agents, and security within the context of OpenAI’s developments.
Overall, this analysis emphasizes the balance between innovation in the AI space and the critical necessity of robust security measures to protect users from emerging threats. Security and compliance professionals must pay close attention to these developments to ensure they mitigate risks associated with new AI systems.