Imagine yourself having a personal assistant who never sleeps. One who applies for jobs on your behalf, manages your emails, and even runs your online shop. For people in China, that assistant has a nickname: the ’lobster.’
It is a new kind of artificial intelligence assistant that is rapidly gaining attention in China. The tool, known as OpenClaw, is part of a new generation of AI agents that can perform tasks on behalf of users with minimal supervision. Austrian programmer Peter Steinberger builds it.
In an interview with CNBC, Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang called OpenClaw “the next ChatGPT,” saying: “It is the most successful open-sourced project in the history of humanity.” OpenAI recently hired its creator, Steinberger.
OpenClaw went global after its release in November 2024, but nowhere did it land quite like China.
An active AI
OpenClaw differs from traditional AI tools because it does more than respond to prompts. Once installed and configured, it can actively manage tasks such as scanning job listings, replying to emails, writing reports, and even making reservations. For many users, this feels like having a personal digital assistant.
Why China?
China’s enthusiasm for OpenClaw is not accidental. The country has prepared a fertile ground for AI advancement. According to a BBC report, over 600 million people in China, more than a third of the population, use generative AI.
Popular Western AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude are blocked in China, so when an open-source platform like OpenClaw arrived, developers and everyday users jumped at it. In
China, where the job market has become more challenging, especially for young people, such tools are becoming more appealing. In an NBC News report, some users said that OpenClaw helped them apply for jobs faster, prepare for interviews, and manage multiple applications at once.
The Chinese government also helped fan the flames. Local authorities in cities like Shenzhen and Wuxi offered grants of up to 10 million yuan to entrepreneurs building businesses around the tool. State newspaper People’s Daily ran commentary warning that those who don’t “raise a lobster” in 2026 would already be falling behind.
Chinese tech giants have also followed suit. Alibaba, Baidu, ByteDance, and Tencent all launched OpenClaw-based products. Tencent even added direct OpenClaw access to WeChat, an app with over one billion monthly users.
But there’s a catch
OpenClaw requires deep access to a user’s computer and data to function. That power comes with serious risk. China’s National Cybersecurity Alert Center warned that nearly 23,000 users had their systems exposed to potential cyberattacks. Stories spread online about the tool deleting a large number of emails by mistake or making unauthorized purchases.
In some cases, paid installation services are quickly followed by uninstallation services for those who have second thoughts.
Despite the backlash, many believe OpenClaw is just an early preview of a much bigger shift. With youth unemployment above 16 percent, many young Chinese see AI not as a threat but as a lifeline, a way to start businesses, stay competitive, and perhaps not need a traditional job at all.
