As AI agent OpenClaw charms China, security risks surface alongside rapid adoption
A ‘lobster’ that drafts reports, books flights? As AI agent OpenClaw charms China, security risks surface
From drafting reports and organising emails to booking flights, artificial intelligence agent OpenClaw has taken China by storm. Despite the excitement, analysts and authorities are warning of security risks.
BEIJING: Across Chinese social media, people are increasingly talking about “raising a lobster”- and sharing what it can do.
The unusual assistant has been drafting reports, organising emails and even booking flights, according to screenshots posted online.
The “lobster” in this case has nothing to do with seafood. It refers to OpenClaw, an open-source artificial intelligence (AI) agent, with the term a nod to its red lobster logo.
OpenClaw has swiftly emerged as one of the latest tech sensations in China, drawing interest from developers, companies and everyday users as the country pushes to harness AI across industries.
There are no official figures on how widely the tool has been adopted. But the enthusiasm has played out both online and offline, with installation tutorials circulating widely and companies organising sessions to help newcomers set up the software.
Analysts say OpenClaw’s rapid uptake reflects strong policy backing for artificial intelligence in China, alongside a tightly integrated tech ecosystem that allows new tools to spread quickly among companies, developers and users.
At the same time, regulators and security experts have warned of potential risks, with authorities reportedly moving to restrict the use of OpenClaw at government agencies and state-owned enterprises.
WHAT IS OPENCLAW?
OpenClaw is essentially an AI agent.
Unlike chatbots such as ChatGPT that primarily answer questions, AI agents are designed to carry out tasks.
With user permission, they can open applications, search for information, compare prices, generate documents and complete multi-step processes with minimal supervision.
OpenClaw was created by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger. Since its November 2025 release, the tool has exploded in popularity.
It is one of the fastest-growing projects in the history of GitHub, the world’s most widely adopted AI-powered developer platform. Steinberger himself was hired by OpenAI last month.
Interest in AI agents has been growing globally. Developer meetups in cities such as New York and San Francisco have drawn crowds experimenting with similar software.
In Singapore, a recent OpenClaw community meetup drew more than 500 attendees. Organisers said it was the largest turnout for an open-source project meetup in the country.
WHY CHINA IS MOVING SO FAST
But in China, the scale and speed of adoption have stood out.
Major companies have hosted OpenClaw installation sessions. Tech giant Tencent did so earlier this month at its Shenzhen headquarters, drawing long queues.
Lengthy lines were likewise observed near Baidu’s headquarters in Beijing on Wednesday (Mar 11), when about 1,000 people turned up to a similar installation session hosted by the company.
The three-hour event drew a steady stream of visitors. Many arrived with laptops in hand, others held lobster plush toys won from a claw machine set up by organisers. The event - originally intended for internal staff - also attracted nearby office workers as well as employees’ family members and friends.
Chinese cloud providers have also rolled out simplified deployment tools while installation tutorials circulate online.
Local governments have moved quickly to support the trend. Districts in Shenzhen and Wuxi have unveiled draft measures to support an OpenClaw-centred ecosystem.
Small side businesses have even surfaced. Checks by CNA on platforms such as Xianyu and Xiaohongshu found listings advertising OpenClaw installation - and even removal - services, with remote or in-home help priced between 20 yuan (US$2.90) and 299 yuan.
Users CNA spoke to cited accessibility as part of the appeal.
While installation is free, running OpenClaw typically requires a cloud server, which can cost as little as 99 yuan a year on some Chinese cloud computing platforms.
Yan Cong, a 35-year-old technology blogger and brand director at a smart home company, said he has been experimenting with OpenClaw to help write scripts, prepare work reports and research health information.
“The most useful feature so far is ‘skills’,” he told CNA, referring to plugins that instruct the AI agent to perform specialised tasks.
“Efficiency gains are undeniable, but the premise is that you must understand your workflow very well.”
Yet for many users, the technology remains experimental.
Chen Ze, 30, a public relations professional, said he first became curious about OpenClaw after watching livestream footage of people lining up outside Tencent’s headquarters to install the software.
“At the beginning, I didn’t have a specific idea of what I wanted it to do,” he said. “I wanted to experience it first and understand how it works.”
At the Mar 11 Baidu OpenClaw installation session, Li, a 34-year-old employee at a nearby technology firm who gave only her surname, said she came to learn more about the tool.
“I wanted to see what the hype was about,” she told CNA.
Jacob Chen, a 25-year-old Baidu advertising employee, said he had been curious about OpenClaw but had not installed it himself because the process can be complicated.
“It’s easier to come here and let the engineers help set it up,” he said.
Analysts said China’s policy signals have helped accelerate the trend.
At the Two Sessions political meetings, policymakers highlighted artificial intelligence as a top priority for economic development, detailing its job-creating and productivity potential.
The government work report specifically called for faster application of AI agents as part of efforts to create new forms of “smart economy”.
In China, once a technology gains momentum, companies and local governments often move quickly to build ecosystems around it - especially when it alig