China Sees OpenClaw AI Rush Amidst Privacy Debates
- tech360.tv
- Mar 9
- 3 min read
Consumers across southern China are rapidly adopting OpenClaw, an open-source artificial intelligence agent, for diverse tasks despite intensifying privacy concerns surrounding the technology. The widespread enthusiasm for OpenClaw has prompted a rush by Chinese tech companies to capitalise on its popularity.
Almost 1,000 people recently queued at Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings’ Shenzhen headquarters to install OpenClaw software on their computers. The crowd included amateur developers, retired space engineers, housewives, students, and AI enthusiasts, with Tencent’s cloud-computing unit offering free installation services.
Social media platforms have also seen posts offering similar installation services for fees ranging from tens to hundreds of yuan. This reflects the surging interest in OpenClaw, which has now spread beyond the developer community to hobbyists and everyday users.
OpenClaw, previously known as Clawdbot and Moltbot, was developed by Austrian programmer Peter Steinberger and released last year. Microsoft-backed US frontier AI lab OpenAI recently acquired the autonomous AI agent.
Unlike conventional chatbots that mostly interact with users, OpenClaw was designed to carry out tasks on users’ computer systems on their behalf. It is billed as “the AI that actually does things” and offers a glimpse into a future where individuals could have their own personal AI assistants.
Chinese consumers have dubbed the adoption of OpenClaw as “raise the lobster,” using it for activities from stock picking and report writing to slide decks, emails, and coding. Shanghai-based designer Mark Yang, an early adopter, described the AI assistant as having “virtual staff” that reduce workload.
The rush to adopt the technology comes despite concerns, as OpenClaw typically requires high-level control of a user’s computer system to function, posing a potential privacy risk. Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang recently described OpenClaw as “the single most important release of software probably ever” at a Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom conference in San Francisco.
Installing OpenClaw and ensuring its proper function has proven challenging for users without advanced technical knowledge. Beijing-based software developer Hu Zhicheng stated this barrier explains the popularity of paid installation services on local social media.
A social media post from Tencent’s cloud unit stated that engineers would assist with setting up AI models, connecting with third-party services, and enabling various skills. Numerous online sessions and offline events have emerged across mainland China, including in Beijing, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou, to share expertise and encourage OpenClaw adoption.
Writer Afra Wang, who covers Chinese technology, observed tremendous interest in OpenClaw among the country’s independent developer community. Wang stated in a post on X that an OpenClaw meet-up in Hangzhou drew so many attendees that registration had to be restricted, with another talk in Shenzhen attracting over 900 registrations.
OpenClaw-style AI agents were featured in the government’s annual work report for the first time, suggesting other major Chinese tech companies are likely to join the trend. Premier Li Qiang delivered the report at the opening of China’s top legislative meeting, the National People’s Congress, in Beijing.
The report stated a goal to “promote faster application of new-generation intelligent terminals and AI agents, and encourage large-scale commercial application of AI in key sectors and fields, so as to foster new forms and models of AI-native business.” Smartphone vendors Xiaomi and ZTE-backed Nubia recently announced the integration of OpenClaw-like capabilities in some of their models.
Cloud services providers, from ByteDance to Alibaba Group Holding, are also offering solutions for OpenClaw installation on their cloud platforms, aiming to alleviate privacy concerns. Veteran Chinese tech entrepreneur Fu Sheng developed an OpenClaw-based agent named Sanwan while recovering from a skiing accident during the Chinese New Year holiday.
Fu spent 14 days developing Sanwan into a reliable 24/7 personal assistant. The AI agent helped him send Chinese New Year greetings to more than 600 friends in four minutes, write and publish social media posts that garnered more than 1 million views while he slept, and handle a range of other tasks.
Fu documented the entire development process on the website sanwan.ai, which Sanwan itself designed, coded, and launched. “When I work with human staff, no one acts immediately, but Sanwan is different; there is no need to schedule or wait,” Fu stated. “Changes come immediately at your command.”
Open-source AI agent OpenClaw is experiencing rapid adoption across southern China for diverse personal and professional tasks.
*Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings is offering free installation services, while paid installation services are also prevalent due to the software's technical challenges.
Consumers have coined the phrase “raise the lobster” to describe their use of OpenClaw, which operates directly on users’ computer systems.
Source: SCMP
