What AI assistant success in China says about the country’s ambitions

AI assistant OpenClaw sparked a frenzy in China in March, with its users “breeding lobsters” (training the tool according to their needs) REUTERS/Florence Lo “Are you a lobster?” was Wang’s first question for the BBC. He was so immersed in using the artificial intelligence (AI) assistant OpenClaw (known in China as “lobster”) that he didn’t know whether he was talking to AI or journalists. After we responded that this was not the case, the young IT engineer explained how he had “dived” into AI and especially OpenClaw. Encouraged by Chinese leadership, the world’s second largest economy has embraced artificial intelligence, sparking curiosity and concern. 🗒️Do you have any reporting suggestions? Send it to g1 See the videos that are trending on g1 Created by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger, OpenClaw is an example of this phenomenon. Built with data and technology in the public domain, the code is available to anyone who wants to customize it to work with Chinese AI models. This is a huge advantage as Western models are not accessible in China, such as ChatGPT and Claude. Therefore, OpenClaw sparked a frenzy in the country, with more and more people experimenting with the code. Wang was one of those people. He did not share his full name because he runs, as a side business, an online store that sells digital gadgets on TikTok, which is prohibited in China. He says he was impressed when he first realized what his “lobster” (built with OpenClaw code and modified for his use) could do. Uploading products to the TikTok store is laborious. He needs to add images, write titles and descriptions, set prices and discounts, sign up for campaigns and send messages to influencers. Typically, he can manage about 12 listings per day. But his “lobster”, still in the testing phase, can make up to 200 listings in just two minutes, according to him. “It’s scary, but it’s also fascinating,” he says. “My lobster is better at this than me.” “She writes better and can instantly compare my prices to each competitor, something I would never have time to do.” OpenClaw had already exploded into the global technology community. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called the tool “the next ChatGPT.” Its developer, Peter Steinberger, recently joined OpenAI. But the enthusiasm that turned OpenClaw into a trend was “uniquely Chinese,” according to Wendy Chang of the MERICS think tank. Wang called OpenClaw “the AI ​​era’s answer for everyday people.” And Chinese tech giants apparently agree, as they are publishing applications built on top of OpenClaw. From the technology center of Shenzhen, in the south of the country, to the capital, Beijing, hundreds of people lined up outside the headquarters of companies Tencent and Baidu, looking for free personalized versions. Interested parties ranged from high school students to retirees. Many of them were curious to know more about “lobsters”. Some online users say they used them to invest in stocks. The “lobsters” analyzed the best time to buy and sell and even closed the deals, even at the risk of making a loss. Others say the tools were great for multitasking and saving time. Famous Chinese writer and comedian Li Dan told his millions of followers on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) that he became so immersed in OpenClaw that he dreamed he was talking to his lobster. Cheetah Mobile CEO Fu Sheng tirelessly shared on social media how he “raised his lobster” — the phrase used to describe assistant training to meet specific needs. Years of investment China had been gripped by AI fever for some time. When the Chinese app DeepSeek exploded into the AI ​​world early last year, it seemed like many people were caught off guard. It is also an open source platform, developed by engineers in the country, trained in elite Chinese universities. DeepSeek emerged after years of investment to develop basic technology, including AI, which only increased after the success of the application. What the tool demonstrated was the innovative appetite of the Chinese to seek research and innovation opportunities, despite restrictions on the import of advanced technology. And it also proved how eager people are to adopt open source platforms. All of this formed the perfect scenario for the arrival of OpenClaw. Its popularity has not gone unnoticed by the Chinese government. Several cities and regions have provided incentives for entrepreneurs to use OpenClaw in their companies. The city of Wuxi, in the east of the country, offered up to five million yuan (US$726,000, approximately R$3.7 million) for uses of the application, such as robots, in industrial production. “Everyone in China knows that the government sets the pace and tells you where the opportunities are,” explains Rui Ma, founder of the Tech Buzz China newsletter. “It’s practical for most people. It’s probably a better plan to simply follow government guidelines rather than trying to actually figure it out on your own.” Therefore, when Beijing signals its priorities, the market follows. In recent years, technology companies, big and small, have jumped into the AI ​​race, supported by office rental subsidies, grants and loans. From manufacturing to transportation, healthcare to home electronics, Chinese companies are looking to integrate AI into their products and operations. “This is the spirit of AI Plus,” says Chang, referring to China’s national strategy for integrating AI across industries. “Take AI and apply it everywhere.” But the competition is fierce. The Chinese press has dubbed the “War of 100 Models” the process that has led to the emergence of more than 100 AI models since 2023, with only 10 still in contention. Chinese AI platforms still lag behind their Western competitors, according to experts. But the distance is closing. Therefore, for Chinese authorities, promoting OpenClaw is a strategic measure, according to former OpenAI researcher, Jenny Xiao. Much of the initial enthusiasm waned as users began to calculate the costs involved (as interacting with the assistant incurs expenses) and due to security concerns. Last month, Beijing cybersecurity officials warned of serious risks related to improper installation and use of OpenClaw. Since then, more and more government agencies have begun banning employees from installing the tool. As a result, the trend soon stopped being the offer of installation, but rather its removal. And this type of contradiction is not uncommon in the Chinese vertical system, according to Ma. Often, governments compete for Beijing’s approval, adopting tools aligned with the wishes of the Communist Party leadership, but end up backsliding when difficulties arise. “It’s disorder with control”, defines Ma. He highlights that Beijing’s intervention does not unnecessarily signal its discouragement. To begin with, AI startups can help combat an important problem in the country, which is the youth unemployment rate of more than 16%. Many government incentives related to OpenClaw (some of them with subsidies of up to 10 million yuan, about US$1.5 million or R$7.5 million) mention “individual companies” — that is, start-ups, managed by one person, with the help of AI. “Who is most likely to start a sole proprietorship? Probably young people facing a tough job market,” explains Xiao. The fear of being left behind is also strong in China, considering the intense competition for jobs. “Some claim that by 2026, if you don’t ‘farm lobsters,’ you’ve already lost at the starting line,” says a commentary published in the state-run People’s Daily newspaper. “It’s really terrifying,” says IT programmer Jason. Your team only hires people with experience using AI tools. “Most people are leaving and very few hires are coming in.” Wang agrees that this is a scary time. “Anyone can be replaced,” but he doesn’t seem overly concerned. ‘I probably won’t need to work and this could become my full-time job,’ he says, in reference to his TikTok business. What if the “lobsters” can run their own stores and kick him out? me ‘AI companies have no business plan or real substance to support their value’ Moltbook, the new social network created just for AI (and not for humans) — and the doubts and concerns it has generated Why more and more analysts talk about an artificial intelligence ‘bubble’ about to burst

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