Always-on agents are moving to per-user cloud computers
The author notes that Claude Duet, OpenAI Dots, Meta Muse and Grok Bot all ship always-on agents with their own cloud browser, meaning each user adds a whole computer, and background checks may become expensive.
Last night I said most consumer-facing agents will end up running on their own computers in the cloud. A few hours later Anthropic launched Claude Duet. In Anthropic's own words: "Claude Duet has a virtual machine with its own browser, so it doesn't require your laptop or phone to be on." That's Anthropic, OpenAI with Dots, Meta with Muse and Grok Bot all shipping always-on agents now. Duet checks your connected accounts every few hours and keeps working while you're away, and Anthropic says those background checks count toward your usage limits. There's a chance that could become expensive. When you zoom out, every one of these agents needs three things running all day: GPUs to think, a CPU and a browser to act, and storage to remember. Always-on agents don't just add GPU demand. They add a whole computer per user.