China’s tech companies delight in OpenClaw as companies rush to deploy AI agents

China is rapidly adopting the popular AI tool OpenClaw, and in recent weeks major tech companies and even local governments have rushed to expand access to the open-source, lobster-themed AI agent.

AI agents are digital assistants that can handle tasks like sending emails, scheduling meetings, and making restaurant reservations with minimal human guidance. Unlike chatbots that simply respond to prompts, AI agents can take proactive actions, often requiring broader access to data and systems, raising privacy and security concerns.

chinese tech giant Tencent said on Tuesday that it had launched a full suite of easy-to-use AI products based on OpenClaw, which it called “lobster special forces” and compatible with its popular WeChat super app.

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

Similar measures taken by other Chinese companies have helped drive consumer interest, with OpenClaw usage in China surpassing that in the US, according to US cybersecurity firm SecurityScorecard.

“In terms of adopting new technologies, I think China definitely has a really big community that always wants to try what’s there, what’s new, and doesn’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 aren’t even in the tech industry…they’re doing this, they’re running it too,” 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 seize.

The national OpenClaw craze has boosted the popularity of large language models developed in China, said Winston Ma, an associate professor at New York University School of Law.

Autonomous AI agents like OpenClaw are typically model-agnostic, meaning they can integrate with several large language models, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.

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

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

This significantly reduces 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, allowing the AI ​​agent to perform multiple tasks autonomously. The Austrian developer behind the tool, Peter Steinberger, joined OpenAI in mid-February.

While OpenClaw has gained popularity recently, experts have previously pointed out limitations to mass adoption of the AI ​​agent, including a complex installation process that presents a challenge for non-technical users.

Chinese technology companies are trying to simplify installation.

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

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

Meanwhile, some companies have even provided support to consumers in China 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 based, 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 IT maintenance team Baiying to deploy the software. Meituan reportedly announced a similar partnership with Lenovo on Monday.

Growing interest in OpenClaw is changing the way Chinese consumers pay for AI.

Violoop, which plans to launch its first device on Kickstarter in April at about $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 launch in China.

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

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

Despite official warnings published by China’s state media about the security risks of OpenClaw, several local governments proposed incentives last week to encourage companies to develop applications using the artificial intelligence tool.

Shenzhen’s Longgang District and Hefei High-tech Development Zone proposed capital financial support of up to 10 million yuan ($1.46 million), along with other direct subsidies targeting “single-person businesses” using OpenClaw. A district in the city of Suzhou said it would offer similar subsidies, along with 30 days of free office space, accommodation and meals.

The term “sole proprietorship,” which refers to one or several individuals who use AI to quickly build a business, has become increasingly popular in China, especially as Beijing this week concluded a meeting to formalize a five-year plan to spur domestic technological development.

The growing Chinese participation in the OpenClaw craze only adds to a global phenomenon. In a sign of its popularity, the AI ​​agent project has earned more stars on the GitHub coding platform than Linux, a transformative open source operating system that underpins modern computing.

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

— CNBC’s Anniek Bao contributed to this report.