Chinese Tech Giants Expand OpenClaw Access Amid "Lobster Fever

Chinese technology firms, including Tencent Holdings, Alibaba Group Holding, and ByteDance, are offering easy or inexpensive access to OpenClaw, the popular open-source artificial intelligence agent software. This comes amid a "lobster fever" in the country.

Credit: OpenClaw

Shares of Hong Kong-listed artificial intelligence companies MiniMax and Zhipu AI surged 22% and 13%, respectively, after these firms took steps to incorporate OpenClaw tools.

Tencent officially launched QClaw, an artificial intelligence assistant built on OpenClaw that can connect to the company’s super app WeChat. Users can remotely control their laptop by sending commands via WeChat on their phone after downloading and installing QClaw. Installation takes about three minutes.

MiniMax integrated its voice and music generators with the OpenClaw ecosystem. Zhipu released AutoClaw, which can deploy a local version of OpenClaw within one minute.

Alibaba released a comprehensive guide for integrating OpenClaw with DingTalk, its enterprise communication platform. DingTalk is offering unlimited application programming interface calls, or interactions, with OpenClaw until March 31.

Alibaba Cloud, the company’s cloud unit, has launched tutorials and resources for developers. These resources allow deployment of OpenClaw for as low as US$1.4.

TikTok owner ByteDance’s cloud unit Volcano Engine unveiled ArkClaw, an "out-of-the-box" version of OpenClaw. ArkClaw runs entirely in the cloud, eliminating the need for complex local environment configuration.

This followed ByteDance’s launch of an OpenClaw plug-in office tool, Feishu. Users can employ Feishu to read and send messages, manage calendars, and handle other tasks directly within the platform.

Some firms offered to help deploy the native OpenClaw software. JD.com launched a dedicated page where users can pay 399 yuan for remote help from Lenovo’s information technology maintenance team, Baiying.

Meituan announced a similar partnership with Lenovo. These moves aim to address technical pain points as interest in OpenClaw expands beyond tech enthusiasts to ordinary Chinese people.

The software was formerly known as Clawdbot and Moltbot. Austrian programmer Peter Steinberger developed the software. OpenClaw was launched last year and acquired by OpenAI in February, sparking global hype.

OpenClaw, billed as the artificial intelligence that "actually does things," was designed to carry out tasks on users’ computer systems on their behalf. This differs from conventional chatbots that primarily interact with users.

However, adopting the software typically requires complex environment set-up and configuration. Tencent was among the first Chinese tech firms to offer help with this.

Tencent’s cloud-computing unit invited people to its Shenzhen headquarters to install OpenClaw for free, drawing nearly 1,000 attendees. Tencent has also launched WorkBuddy, its own OpenClaw alternative.

WorkBuddy is fully compatible with OpenClaw skills but is more user-friendly, requiring only download and installation. Other Chinese companies are developing their own versions of OpenClaw.

Xiaomi invited users to test its "miclaw," an artificial intelligence interaction product built on its own artificial intelligence model. "Miclaw" aims to turn a smartphone into an artificial intelligence tool capable of understanding user intent, calling applications, and completing commands autonomously.

Local governments in Jiangsu province’s Changshu and Wuxi cities, along with a district in Shenzhen, have drafted supportive policies for OpenClaw. These policies include subsidies and resources.

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• Chinese tech giants are providing easier and cheaper access to OpenClaw artificial intelligence software.

• Tencent, Alibaba, and ByteDance have each launched new OpenClaw-based tools or services.

• Shares of Hong Kong-listed AI companies MiniMax and Zhipu AI surged after integrating OpenClaw tools.

Source: SCMP

Meta Acquires AI Social Network Moltbook

Meta Platforms has acquired Moltbook, a social networking platform designed for artificial intelligence agents. This deal brings Moltbook’s co-founders into Meta’s AI research division.

Credit: MOLTBOOK

This acquisition signals an intense competition among technology giants to secure AI talent and technology. Autonomous agents, capable of executing real-world tasks, represent the industry’s next frontier.

Moltbook co-founders Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr will join Meta Superintelligence Labs, the unit led by former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang. Schlicht and Parr are expected to begin their new roles at Meta Superintelligence Labs on March 16, according to Axios, which first reported the development.

Moltbook is described as a Reddit-like site where AI-powered bots appear to exchange code and share observations about their human owners. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

The platform began as a niche experiment but has since become central to a growing debate about how close computers are to possessing human-like intelligence. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called Moltbook a "likely fad" but noted its underlying technology offered a "glimpse of the future."

Altman also stated, "Moltbook maybe (is a passing fad) but OpenClaw is not." OpenAI last month hired Peter Steinberger, the creator of OpenClaw, an open-source bot formerly known as Clawdbot or Moltbot. OpenClaw is backing the project’s open-sourcing.

Anthropic Chief Product Officer Mike Krieger said most people are not yet ready to give AI full autonomy over their computers.

Mr. Schlicht championed "vibe coding," a process of building programs with AI assistance. He stated he "didn't write one line of code" for Moltbook, building it largely using his personal AI assistant, Clawd Clawderberg.

Moltbook’s rapid rise also presented cybersecurity risks. Cybersecurity firm Wiz reported a major flaw that exposed private messages, more than 6,000 email addresses, and more than a million credentials. Wiz stated the problem was fixed after the firm contacted Moltbook.

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• Meta Platforms acquired Moltbook, an AI agent social networking platform.

• Moltbook co-founders Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr are joining Meta Superintelligence Labs.

• The acquisition highlights the competitive race for AI talent and technology among tech firms.

Source: REUTERS

Orbital Mirror Startup Faces Scientific Alarm Over Night Sky Disruption

Reflect Orbital, a Hawthorne startup, aims to deploy 50,000 orbital mirrors by 2035 to beam sunlight to Earth's night side. The company has raised USD 28 million and filed Federal Communications Commission paperwork for its initial prototype.

Credit: Reflect Orbital

Scientists, however, are raising concerns about the potential consequences when technological ambition meets orbital physics and environmental impact.

The company's prototype, EARENDEL-1, is a dorm-fridge-sized device that unfolds into an 18.3-metre mirror. It illuminates a 4.8-kilometre patch with light comparable to a full moon.

Production mirrors, measuring 54.9 metres, are designed to deliver 1/140,000th of midday sunlight across 46.6 square kilometres. Research from Monash University indicates that over 3,000 satellites would be needed to achieve 20% of daytime solar intensity at a single location.

This scale raises questions about the energy returns versus the significant infrastructure investment. Reflect Orbital's pricing is USD 5,000 per hour for its service.

Historical precedents include Russia’s 1993 Znamya-2 experiment, which briefly illuminated Arctic regions using a 24.4-metre mirror. The physics limitations observed in that mission, such as light scattering beyond target areas, persist.

Astronomers warn of the permanent pollution of the night sky with artificial illumination brighter than moonlight. Robert Massey, of the Royal Astronomical Society, described this prospect as "pretty catastrophic" for astronomy.

Fifty thousand mirrors could create streaks across telescope images, potentially ending ground-based astronomy. Wildlife faces disrupted circadian rhythms, affecting migration, breeding, and hibernation cycles.

Pilots also face distraction risks from sudden bright flashes. A regulatory gap exacerbates these concerns, as the Federal Communications Commission reviews radio interference and satellite disposal but not environmental impacts.

No federal agency currently assesses how orbital mirrors might affect ecosystems or night sky preservation. Despite attracting 250,000 service applications and Air Force contracts, Reflect Orbital faces fundamental physics constraints.

Experts suggest that battery storage and grid-scale solutions extend solar power more efficiently than orbital infrastructure requiring constant satellite replacement. While the mirrors might find niche applications in disaster response or Arctic operations, transforming global energy is deemed unfeasible by many scientists.

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• Reflect Orbital plans to deploy 50,000 orbital mirrors by 2035 to illuminate Earth's night side.

• The company has secured USD 28 million in funding and is developing a prototype mirror system.

• Scientists express alarm over the potential for light pollution, the disruption of ground-based astronomy, and ecological impacts on wildlife.

Source: YAHOO