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Cloud AI agents: What They Are and How to Spot Them
What is a cloud AI agent?
A cloud AI agent is a hosted service that runs a browser on the vendor's servers. The person asks for something in an app or a chat, and the service completes the task in that remote browser. Some cloud agents live inside messaging apps. Instinct works through WhatsApp, and Benno works through Slack.
The person may never open your site at all. They describe what they want, and the agent visits, browses and fills in forms for them.
How are cloud agents different from other agent types?
In-browser and extension agents work on the customer's own device. A cloud agent does not, so the session carries none of the customer's device history or home network. Your site sees a browser that looks real, but it comes from a data center.
Cloud agents can look like agent SDKs running on hosted browsers, since both use cloud infrastructure. The difference is who is behind them. A cloud agent is a finished product that a consumer asks for help. An agent SDK is a toolkit that a developer scripts.
Review the table below for more information or check out our blog post here on how Darwinium detects the different types of agents.
| IN-BROWSER AGENT | BROWSER EXTENSION AGENT | CLOUD AGENT | AGENT SDK | |
| WHERE THE BROWSER RUNS | The person's computer | The person's computer | The vendor's cloud | A developer's computer or a hosted service |
| NETWORK | Home or office | Home or office | Cloud hosting | Varies |
| WHO CONTROLS THE ACTIONS | The AI assistant the person uses | A separately installed extension | A hosted service | A developer's code |
| HOW A TASK STARTS | The person asks in the browser | The person asks through the extension | The person asks in an app or chat | A script runs |
Which cloud agents does Darwinium detect?
| AGENT | MADE BY |
| ChatGPT agent | OpenAI |
| Perplexity Comet | Perplexity |
| Meta Muse | Meta |
| Manus | Manus |
| Skyvern Cloud | Skyvern |
| Instinct (WhatsApp agent) | Instinct |
| Benno (Slack Agent) | Benno |
| Rtrvr.ai Cloud | Rtrvr |
Two of these, ChatGPT agent and Manus, declare themselves as agents. The rest do not, and Darwinium identifies or infers them from how they behave. A cloud agent that does not match a known name is still classified as an agent.
What are the tells of a cloud agent?
The browser itself can look like a normal browser. What gives a cloud agent away is everything around it:
- Traffic comes from cloud hosting or data center networks, not a home or office.
- The browser has an automation control channel turned on.
- The page can see an agent tool interface that a normal browser does not expose.
- The session hands off to a chat app partway through.
A data center network alone is not proof, since some people browse through VPNs or remote desktops. Darwinium looks for several signs that agree.
Why does this matter?
A cloud agent session does not come from the customer's device. Any trust you place in a known device or a familiar location does not carry over. The agent may still act for a real, paying customer, so the aim is to recognize it and decide what it may do, especially at login, checkout and account changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a cloud agent use the customer's device?
No. It runs a browser on the vendor's servers, so your site sees a data center, not the customer's device.
Do cloud agents identify themselves?
Some do. ChatGPT agent and Manus declare themselves. Most cloud agents in Darwinium's testing do not.
Can a cloud agent be started from a chat app?
Yes. Instinct runs through WhatsApp and Benno through Slack, so the person never opens your site directly.