How I AI
How I AI

Computer & browser use in Codex (5 real examples)

July 22, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The host opens with a confession: she used to think AI was a conversational tool for people whose hands were full, but now she’s obsessed with a feature that lets AI actually use her hands. She calls it “Look Ma No Hands.” The technology is browser and computer use—the ability for an AI model like Codex (running on GPT-5.6) to control your mouse, keyboard, and browser directly, as if it were a virtual coworker sitting at your desk. She uses it every day and walks through five concrete examples, from QA testing to personal shopping, explaining both the mechanics and the mindset needed to make it work.

How to invoke browser and computer use

The setup is straightforward. You need the desktop app for ChatGPT or Claude installed on your computer, plus the official browser extension for Chrome. Together, these allow the AI to move your cursor, click buttons, type text, and navigate websites. In Codex specifically, there are three ways to invoke it: @browser opens a side browser window inside the app; @chrome uses the Chrome extension to control your actual browser; and @computer gives the AI full control over your entire desktop, including other apps. The host emphasizes that the real trick is not the setup but finding the right use case—something repetitive, structured, or tedious that benefits from the AI’s patience and exhaustiveness.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:07) **AI as a "no-hands" assistant** - Introduces the concept of browser and computer use, letting AI navigate your computer and websites to get work done on your behalf.
  • 2 (01:52) **What is browser/computer use?** - Explains that LLMs like Claude and Codex can control your computer's mouse and keyboard, acting like a virtual coworker.
  • 3 (04:30) **Builder use case #1: Automated QA testing** - Uses browser use to validate a web app's onboarding flow for usability and mobile responsiveness.
  • 4 (05:45) **How the QA test runs** - Shows the glowy cursor moving through the site, exhaustively testing failure states and success states.
  • 5 (09:58) **The output: a structured bug sheet** - AI creates a Google Sheet with prioritized issues, screenshots, reproduction steps, and remediation suggestions.
  • 6 (12:16) **Builder use case #2: Persona-based UX testing** - Uses browser use to impersonate three specific user personas (PM, engineer, team leader) and get feedback.
  • 7 (13:41) **Persona testing in action** - AI goes through each persona's flow, revealing real product issues.

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Show Notes

Today I’m walking you through one of my absolute favorite AI features right now: browser and computer use via Codex (the ChatGPT desktop app). I use this every single day, personally and professionally, and I wanted to share the specific workflows I’ve built, the moments that surprised me, and the mental model that makes it actually click.


What you’ll learn:

  1. How browser use and computer use work, and why the Codex desktop app plus Chrome extension is the combo I rely on
  2. How I use Codex to QA my onboarding flow, including exhaustive mobile testing I would never do manually
  3. Why under-prompting frontier models gets better results than detailed step-by-step instructions
  4. How my husband EJ Lawless’s persona-impersonation trick surfaces friction points I can’t see as the builder
  5. How I use browser use to get through my LinkedIn inbox without touching it myself
  6. How I had Codex shop Free People’s sale and add 10 medium items to my cart (breastfeeding-friendly and Hawaii-ready)
  7. How computer use can control iPhone mirroring so your Mac can technically operate your phone
  8. Three more computer-use shortcuts: filling annoying forms, creating Google Sheets mid-workflow, and managing router

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Intro

(01:46) What browser use and computer use actually are

(03:08) Why I use Codex specifically and how the desktop app plus Chrome extension works

(04:15) Use case 1: QA testing my onboarding flow

(10:41) Results: 11 issues, one high-severity blocker, one Google Sheet with screenshots

(12:10) Use case 2: persona testing

(18:20) Use case 3: LinkedIn inbox, hands-free

(20:37) Use case 4: AI personal shopper

(23:47) Rapid-fire uses: forms, iPhone mirroring, router access from out of state, Google Docs

(26:50) Wrap-up

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Tools referenced:

• Codex (ChatGPT desktop app): https://openai.com/codex

• Claude desktop app: https://claude.ai/download

• Monologue (voice dictation for AI): https://monologue.app

• iPhone mirroring (Apple): https://support.apple.com/en-us/111775

• Google Sheets: https://sheets.google.com

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Other references:

• Jesse Genet episode (How I AI): How I AI

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