China’s tech firms feast on OpenClaw as companies race to deploy AI agents

China is rapidly embracing the popular artificial intelligence tool OpenClaw, with major tech companies and even local governments rushing to expand access to the lobster-themed, open-source AI agent in recent weeks. 

AI agents are digital assistants that can handle tasks such as sending emails, scheduling meetings and booking restaurant reservations with minimal human guidance. Unlike chatbots that simply respond to prompts, AI agents can take proactive actions, which often require broader access to data and systems and raise privacy and security concerns.

Chinese tech giant Tencent said Tuesday it had launched a full suite of easy-to-use AI products built on OpenClaw, which it dubbed “lobster special forces” and compatible with its popular superapp WeChat.

The same day, startup Zhipu AI launched its own local version of OpenClaw, offering an AI agent pre-installed with over 50 popular skills through “one-click installation.”

Similar moves by other Chinese companies have helped drive consumer interest, with usage of OpenClaw in China surpassing the U.S., according to American cybersecurity firm SecurityScorecard.

“In terms of adopting the new technologies, I think China definitely has a really large community that always wants to try what’s there, what’s new, and don’t want to be left behind,” said Jaylen He, CEO of Violoop, a Shenzhen-based startup building a device that claims to have similar features to OpenClaw but with lower security risks.

“I have friends who are not even in the tech industry … they are doing this, they are also running it,” he said.

As China’s economy continues to face headwinds, OpenClaw offers an opportunity that domestic tech companies, eager to attract paying users, are rushing to capture.

The nationwide OpenClaw craze has boosted the popularity of Chinese-developed large language models, said Winston Ma, adjunct professor at NYU School of Law.

Autonomous AI agents like OpenClaw are typically model-agnostic, which means they can be integrated with various large language models, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.

According to OpenRouter, a startup offering developers access to AI models through a single interface, the top three tools used by OpenClaw users on its marketplace in the past month were all Chinese companies, with combined usage double that of the three most-used Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude models.

Chinese-made AI models released this year have increasingly narrowed the gap with their U.S. rivals, while offering AI capabilities at a fraction of the price.

That significantly lowers the bill for users running OpenClaw. First launched in November, the tool allows users to send requests through popular messaging apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp, enabling the AI agent to perform multiple tasks autonomously. The Austrian developer behind the tool, Peter Steinberger, joined OpenAI in mid-February.

While OpenClaw has surged in popularity in the tech world, experts have previously pointed out limitations to the AI agent’s mass adoption, including a complex installation process that’s challenging for nontechnical users.

Chinese technology companies are also trying to simplify installation for less technical users.

After an initial surge of interest last month, Chinese social media platforms have been flooded with posts about company-organized installation events. Some organizers have handed out red lobster plush toys, highlighting the project’s crustacean-themed branding.

TikTok owner ByteDance’s cloud unit Volcano Engine recently unveiled a version of OpenClaw called ‘ArkClaw,’ that can be used in a web browser, eliminating the need for complex local setup.

Meanwhile, some companies have even provided support to consumers in China who are looking to use OpenClaw with their tools. 

Tencent held a free in-person OpenClaw setup session last week in the Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen, where it is headquartered, to help “hundreds” of people install the tool on TencentCloud.

JD.com on Tuesday launched a dedicated page where users can pay 399 yuan ($58) to get remote help from Lenovo’s information technology maintenance team, Baiying, to deploy the software. Meituan reportedly announced a similar partnership with Lenovo on Monday.

The growing interest in OpenClaw is changing how Chinese consumers pay for AI.

Violoop, which plans to launch its first device on Kickstarter in April at roughly $300 per unit and $30 a month for AI services, originally intended to focus on the U.S. and other overseas markets, CEO He said.

But now, the startup is focusing on a China launch instead.

“After 2026, after OpenClaw, I think we are seeing a significant rise, both in terms of [interest in] paying for good models and also that MiniMax and Kimi have released very capable models,” he said Wednesday. “I wouldn’t say that they can surpass maybe ChatGPT or Anthropic, but they are definitely approaching that and definitely are creating value for users. So this is a new change for us.”

The startup has already closed at least two rounds of initial funding this year, primarily to cover production costs.

Despite official warnings published by China’s state media about OpenClaw’s security risks, several local governments have proposed incentives in the past week to encourage companies to develop applications using the AI tool.

Shenzhen’s Longgang district and Hefei’s high-tech development zone proposed equity financing support of up to 10 million yuan ($1.46 million), along with other direct subsidies aimed at “one-person companies” using OpenClaw. A district of Suzhou city said it would offer similar subsidies, along with 30 days of free office space, accommodation and meals.

The term “one-person company,” referring to one or a few individuals using AI to quickly build a business, has become increasingly popular in China, especially as Beijing this week wrapped up a meeting to formalize a five-year plan to spur domestic tech development.

Increased Chinese participation in the OpenClaw craze is just adding to a global phenomenon. In a sign of its popularity, the AI agent project has gained more stars on the GitHub coding platform than Linux, a transformative open-source operating system that underpins modern computing.

“This is like the 2022 ChatGPT moment. This is like the 202[5] DeepSeek moment,” Violoop’s He said. “I think the craving, the desire, for a personal assistant that can really help the user, the desire has been there, and has been suppressed for a very long time.”

— CNBC’s Anniek Bao contributed to this report.