Characterizing Unintended Consequences in Human-GUI Agent Collaboration for Web Browsing

Abstract: The proliferation of LLM-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) agents in web browsing scenarios present complex unintended consequences (UCs). This paper characterizes three UCs from three perspectives: phenomena, influence and mitigation, drawing on social media analysis (N=221 posts) and semi-structured interviews (N=14). Key phenomenon for UCs include agents' deficiencies in comprehending instructions and planning tasks, challenges in executing accurate GUI interactions and adapting to dynamic interfaces, the generation of unreliable or misaligned outputs, and shortcomings in error handling and feedback processing. These phenomena manifest as influences from unanticipated actions and user frustration, to privacy violations and security vulnerabilities, and further to eroded trust and wider ethical concerns. Our analysis also identifies user-initiated mitigation, such as technical adjustments and manual oversight, and provides implications for designing future LLM-based GUI agents that are robust, user-centric, and transparent, fostering a crucial balance between automation and human oversight.