AWS has announced that Amazon WorkSpaces can now serve as managed virtual desktops for AI agents, letting them operate legacy desktop applications through computer vision and input simulation without requiring application modernization or API integration.
The problem it addresses is widespread. According to a 2024 Gartner report, 75% of organizations run legacy applications that lack modern APIs, and 71% of Fortune 500 companies operate critical processes on mainframe systems without adequate programmatic access. For these organizations, deploying AI agents has meant choosing between expensive modernization projects or delaying adoption entirely.
WorkSpaces takes a different approach: give the agent the same desktop a human employee uses. The agent authenticates through IAM, connects to a WorkSpaces instance at a unique pre-signed URL, and interacts with applications by taking screenshots (computer vision), clicking, typing, and scrolling (computer input). The…
https://www.infoq.com/news/2026/05/aws-workspaces-ai-agents/
