https://www.scmp.com/rss/525458/feed OpenClaw – formerly known as Clawdbot and Moltbot – is an autonomous artificial intelligence agent that has gained global traction for its ability to perform tasks on a user’s behalf, such as organising and responding to emails, drafting work reports and preparing slide decks. It was acquired by OpenAI in February 2026, sparking worldwide hype. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sylvia Ma,Vincent Chow Sylvia Ma,Vincent Chow With US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell reported to have held urgent talks over Anthropic’s latest artificial intelligence model, experts are warning that immediate cybersecurity assessments are needed to avert potential economic damage running into the hundreds of billions of US dollars. Across the Pacific, however, analysts said China’s banks were taking a more cautious approach, as Beijing prioritises financial stability and intensifies monitoring of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3349685/china-banks-buffer-against-ai-contagions-us-sweats-over-anthropics-mythos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3349685/china-banks-buffer-against-ai-contagions-us-sweats-over-anthropics-mythos?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:00:08 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Chinese tech companies are engaged in a public war of words as they compete to capitalise on US start-up Anthropic’s decision to pull its industry-leading Claude models from open-source AI agent tool OpenClaw. The development comes as AI agents have triggered a huge increase in demand for AI tokens – the core metric of AI usage – raising questions about the long-term ability of industry players to meet this demand amid a growing global crunch in computational power. On Sunday, Anthropic... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3349146/chinese-ai-rivals-clash-over-anthropics-openclaw-exit-amid-global-token-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3349146/chinese-ai-rivals-clash-over-anthropics-openclaw-exit-amid-global-token-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 07:58:08 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Tencent Holdings has launched a new OpenClaw tool for enterprises that promises easy deployment of the artificial intelligence agent as part of the Chinese internet giant’s efforts to capitalise on the “lobster” frenzy in the country. ClawPro, launched in public beta by Tencent’s cloud unit on Thursday, works as an AI agent management platform for enterprises, allowing them to deploy OpenClaw templates, select models and agents, track token consumption and manage security settings. Tencent said... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3348942/tencent-expands-openclaw-suite-enterprise-tool-amid-chinas-lobster-craze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3348942/tencent-expands-openclaw-suite-enterprise-tool-amid-chinas-lobster-craze?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:00:09 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang The recent nationwide frenzy to adopt OpenClaw, an open-source artificial intelligence agent, has pushed token use to new levels and given fresh momentum to China’s booming AI sector, according to industry experts at a state-backed conference on Friday. “Since late January token consumption [on my company’s platform] has been doubling every two weeks, and by now it has increased roughly tenfold,” said Xia Lixue, co-founder and CEO at Infinigence, a Beijing-based AI computing service provider,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3348147/openclaw-effect-explosion-ai-token-use-adds-fuel-chinese-ai-development?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3348147/openclaw-effect-explosion-ai-token-use-adds-fuel-chinese-ai-development?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:30:16 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Agentic artificial intelligence and advanced packaging technology will be key growth drivers for China’s chip industry in coming years, as the country is expected to increase its share of chipmaking capacity to nearly half of the world’s total by 2028. According to data revealed at Semicon China, the world’s largest chip industry trade show, China’s share of wafer fabrication capacity for mainstream processes was expected to reach 42 per cent of global capacity by 2028. That would mark a rapid... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3347902/semicon-china-ai-advanced-packaging-set-drive-countrys-chip-industry-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3347902/semicon-china-ai-advanced-packaging-set-drive-countrys-chip-industry-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:13:25 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Tencent Holdings is rolling out a “ClawBot” plug-in for China’s most popular app WeChat as it seeks to capitalise on the OpenClaw craze, even as authorities continue to warn about risks. The move announced on Sunday will allow WeChat’s more than 1 billion monthly active users to command their OpenClaw artificial intelligence agents directly through the app, which is deeply embedded in daily life in China. In recent weeks, almost every Chinese tech giant has announced new offerings based on... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3347590/tencent-adds-clawbot-plug-wechat-amid-openclaw-boom-and-privacy-warnings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3347590/tencent-adds-clawbot-plug-wechat-amid-openclaw-boom-and-privacy-warnings?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:30:07 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang The international commerce unit of Alibaba Group Holding on Monday introduced an enterprise-focused artificial intelligence agent platform to automate complex cross-border e-commerce operations for small businesses worldwide, as companies rush to adopt AI agents to boost efficiency. The Accio Work agent platform unveiled by Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group (AIDC) was designed to give small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and solo founders access to an AI task force by deploying a... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3347539/alibaba-unveils-ai-agent-platform-automate-global-e-commerce-small-businesses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3347539/alibaba-unveils-ai-agent-platform-automate-global-e-commerce-small-businesses?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:00:11 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi China has pledged to strengthen artificial intelligence (AI) security, including through a new data property rights framework, at a time when users and businesses are rapidly adopting the highly coveted but controversial OpenClaw. On Monday, Liu Liehong, head of the National Data Administration, said security and compliance had become core challenges as AI spread across industry and daily life. Speaking at the China Development Forum, Liu cited challenges ranging from copyright disputes over... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347604/china-vows-stricter-ai-safeguards-openclaw-sparks-security-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347604/china-vows-stricter-ai-safeguards-openclaw-sparks-security-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Steven Li sells cosmetics to overseas customers from the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu. This month, amid the popularity of the OpenClaw AI agent framework, he expanded the business by “hiring” four “AI employees”. On the front lines, the AI customer service manages real-time inquiries 24/7 on WhatsApp, while a “digital sales” agent provides price quotes. Behind the scenes, a third role ensures operational transparency by providing tracking status for every order, while an “operations... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3347416/openclaw-government-support-fuels-rise-one-person-companies-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3347416/openclaw-government-support-fuels-rise-one-person-companies-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 10:00:26 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Chinese telecommunications gear giant Huawei Technologies is capitalising on the OpenClaw frenzy with new enterprise agent tools and a series of Kunpeng and Ascend compute offerings, as it bets on surging demand for agentic artificial intelligence services. The Shenzhen-based company announced at its China Partner Conference on Thursday that it would launch AgentArts, an agent development platform for enterprises, on April 30 for public beta testing, followed by the official release of the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3347160/huawei-capitalises-openclaw-frenzy-boost-computing-demand-its-chips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3347160/huawei-capitalises-openclaw-frenzy-boost-computing-demand-its-chips?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings has integrated its QClaw AI agent as a mini-program in its flagship WeChat app as it pushes to expand adoption of its OpenClaw-based tool. It said QClaw was now accessible as a mini-program inside WeChat after an upgrade on Wednesday that allowed users to transfer files to their personal computers. QClaw was launched last week as an OpenClaw-based artificial intelligence agent for personal computers that users could control remotely from WeChat on their... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346994/lobster-fever-grips-china-tencent-makes-openclaw-based-tool-available-wechat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346994/lobster-fever-grips-china-tencent-makes-openclaw-based-tool-available-wechat?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 06:58:57 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu Artificial intelligence is stepping off the screen and into the physical world, as Chinese engineers integrate OpenClaw, the open-source AI agent that has taken China by storm, into robots capable of executing real-world tasks. Domestic robotics giant Ecovacs unveiled Bajie, a robot integrated with OpenClaw, at the Appliance and Electronics World Expo in Shanghai last week. Equipped with a robotic arm and gripper mounted on a round, vacuum-shaped wheeled base, Bajie demonstrated its ability to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346916/how-chinese-robot-makers-are-tapping-openclaw-take-real-world-tasks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346916/how-chinese-robot-makers-are-tapping-openclaw-take-real-world-tasks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:14 +0000 Ken Ip Ken Ip In China this month, people have been lining up on streets to install an AI programme on their computers. Some had travelled from other cities. Others had waited for hours for engineers to set it up for them. There were even “birth certificates” given out upon installation. The programme is OpenClaw. Its logo is a red lobster. Chinese internet users quickly coined a phrase for the phenomenon: raising lobsters. The scene looks quirky, even amusing. But beneath the spectacle lies a revealing... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3346562/frenzy-over-ai-agent-openclaw-shows-lobster-has-escaped-pot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3346562/frenzy-over-ai-agent-openclaw-shows-lobster-has-escaped-pot?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 21:30:08 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial China may be having its own TikTok moment. Just as Americans went crazy over the Chinese-made social media platform, mainland Chinese are in a frenzy to use OpenClaw, an American-owned artificial intelligence (AI) agent that promises to make the new tech accessible to the masses. And just like Washington, Beijing is worried about potential security risks and privacy breaches. Yet the business and tech potential of AI agents is too great to ignore. On one hand, many local governments recognise... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3346715/china-must-manage-risks-ai-agents-without-stifling-innovation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3346715/china-must-manage-risks-ai-agents-without-stifling-innovation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings has become a sponsor of OpenClaw after public complaints from the creator of the popular open-source artificial intelligence agent. Tencent and its cloud computing unit officially became sponsors of OpenClaw on Monday, as featured on the project’s GitHub page alongside OpenAI and Chinese AI giant Baidu. The GitHub page has a section that lists the project’s sponsors. Earlier on Sunday, an account belonging to Tencent Cloud Lighthouse – the tech giant’s team... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346796/tencent-sponsors-openclaw-after-creators-complaints-copying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346796/tencent-sponsors-openclaw-after-creators-complaints-copying?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 14:44:50 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang By the time software programmer Guo Cancan realised something had gone horribly wrong with OpenClaw – the task-executing AI agent that has ignited a fervour across China – the damage was already done. While on holiday over the Chinese New Year, Guo was tinkering with the autonomous open-source program. When he attempted to resolve an error that it had made, OpenClaw responded by deleting nearly everything on his computer’s D: drive – a major storage partition – wiping out years of personal data... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346513/inside-openclaw-mania-gripping-china-security-fears-surge-alongside-enthusiasm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346513/inside-openclaw-mania-gripping-china-security-fears-surge-alongside-enthusiasm?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 22:00:14 +0000 Wency Chen,Ben Jiang Wency Chen,Ben Jiang The OpenClaw craze is rapidly driving up prices and depleting stock of Apple’s Mac Mini compact computer across China, according to local sellers, as consumers scramble to secure machines capable of safely running the open-source artificial intelligence agent amid a nationwide rush to “raise a lobster”. Beijing electronics seller Frank Chai said he was asking for a mark-up of at least 500 yuan (US$73) for a basic Mac Mini model, which comes with 16 gigabytes (GB) of memory and 256GB storage and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346538/apples-mac-mini-selling-out-across-china-openclaw-fever-rages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346538/apples-mac-mini-selling-out-across-china-openclaw-fever-rages?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:00:11 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng From assisting with office work to providing daily entertainment, arranging blind dates, and even helping with stock market investments, Chinese users are enthusiastically exploring the cutting-edge OpenClaw artificial intelligence tool for various purposes. While most early adopters are tech professionals, others are jumping in too, driven not only by speculation and the lure of quick gains, but also curiosity and fear of missing out on the latest AI craze. “Play OpenClaw right, and it can... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346378/stock-tips-blind-dates-why-chinese-are-obsessed-raising-lobster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346378/stock-tips-blind-dates-why-chinese-are-obsessed-raising-lobster?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 01:30:12 +0000 Ann Cao,Ben Jiang Ann Cao,Ben Jiang China’s OpenClaw craze has taken an ironic turn, with social media platforms now flooded with paid services offering to uninstall the artificial intelligence (AI) agent after users initially paid to have it installed. On Xianyu, the second-hand marketplace under Alibaba, the keyword “uninstall OpenClaw” was trending on Thursday, based on a search by the South China Morning Post. Records showed that a Shanghai-based seller named “mojito lime water” charged 299 yuan ($43.55) to uninstall the agent... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3346397/chinas-openclaw-users-paid-install-viral-ai-agent-now-they-spend-remove-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3346397/chinas-openclaw-users-paid-install-viral-ai-agent-now-they-spend-remove-it?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:00:14 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang Local governments across China have rushed to ride the OpenClaw AI boom in hopes of spurring economic growth, only for Beijing to step in swiftly to rein in the frenzy. Authorities in Beijing have issued a series of safety warnings that analysts say underscore the divide in priorities between local and central authorities. The rush to adopt the artificial intelligence (AI) software has seen major internet companies offer low-cost or easily accessible versions, while local governments have rolled... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3346384/what-chinas-openclaw-divide-reveals-about-local-and-central-government-priorities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3346384/what-chinas-openclaw-divide-reveals-about-local-and-central-government-priorities?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:57:44 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng A unit of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has issued guidelines on best practices and prohibitions for adopting and using OpenClaw, the popular artificial intelligence agent that continues to dominate the market. The advisory, developed in collaboration with AI agent providers, vulnerability platform operators and cybersecurity firms, aims to address risks in typical use cases of “lobster”, OpenClaw’s mascot, according to a Wednesday statement from the MIIT-run... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3346269/china-issues-new-safety-rules-openclaw-here-are-dos-and-donts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3346269/china-issues-new-safety-rules-openclaw-here-are-dos-and-donts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 15:13:52 +0000 Cao Li Cao Li Hong Kong stocks fell on Wednesday as tech firms slid after Chinese authorities moved to curb the OpenClaw frenzy. The Hang Seng Index edged down 0.2 per cent to close at 25,898.76 after gaining as much as 0.7 per cent in the morning session. The Hang Seng Tech Index fell 0.1 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index added 0.6 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.3 per cent. On Tuesday, China’s cybersecurity emergency response system warned of security and data risks tied to... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3346160/hong-kong-stocks-extend-rebound-proposed-release-oil-reserve-soothes-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3346160/hong-kong-stocks-extend-rebound-proposed-release-oil-reserve-soothes-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 02:10:04 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang China’s cybersecurity agency on Tuesday issued a second warning about security and data risks tied to OpenClaw, despite a rush among local governments and tech companies to adopt the artificial intelligence agent amid a nationwide frenzy. At a time when major Chinese cloud service providers were touting easy deployment of OpenClaw to capitalise on its popularity, improper installation and use of the agent had also led to severe security risks, said the National Computer Network Emergency... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346138/china-issues-second-warning-openclaw-risks-amid-adoption-frenzy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346138/china-issues-second-warning-openclaw-risks-amid-adoption-frenzy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:14:18 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Chinese technology firms, including internet giants Tencent Holdings, Alibaba Group Holding and ByteDance, are offering easy or inexpensive access to OpenClaw, the popular open-source AI agent software amid a “lobster fever” in the country. Tencent on Tuesday officially launched QClaw, an artificial intelligence assistant built on OpenClaw that can connect to the company’s super app WeChat. After download and installation on a computer that takes about three minutes, users can remotely control... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3346090/chinese-tech-giants-offer-cheap-easy-access-openclaw-amid-lobster-fever?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3346090/chinese-tech-giants-offer-cheap-easy-access-openclaw-amid-lobster-fever?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 09:00:07 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Some local governments in China have rushed to support the adoption of OpenClaw, the artificial intelligence agent sweeping the country, even as warnings about privacy and security risks linger in the background. In Shenzhen, China’s southern tech hub, the AI and robotics agency of Longgang district published a draft on Saturday proposing sweeping measures, including subsidies of up to 2 million yuan (US$290,000) for approved projects. The initiative came a day after nearly a thousand people... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3345986/chinese-local-governments-offer-openclaw-project-subsidies-security-questions-linger?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3345986/chinese-local-governments-offer-openclaw-project-subsidies-security-questions-linger?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 13:30:08 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese open-source artificial intelligence models are being adopted by OpenClaw, the global hit AI agent, for their favourable balance of cost and performance, according to industry experts. OpenClaw, which has been a runaway success since its late 2025 launch, announced on Friday that it was offering Chinese start-up Moonshot AI’s latest Kimi K2.5 and Kimi Coding agent for free in its service, while adding support for MiniMax, another Chinese foundational AI developer. Analysts said Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3342137/value-money-ai-agent-openclaw-adopts-chinese-models-cost-edge-over-us-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3342137/value-money-ai-agent-openclaw-adopts-chinese-models-cost-edge-over-us-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:17 +0000