{"id":106063,"date":"2026-03-14T16:51:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T16:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/ai-agent-lobster-fever-grips-china-despite-risks-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T16:51:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T16:51:12","slug":"ai-agent-lobster-fever-grips-china-despite-risks-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/ai-agent-lobster-fever-grips-china-despite-risks-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"AI agent ‘Lobster Fever’ grips China despite risks | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

OpenClaw can execute real-life tasks such as sending emails, organising files, or even booking flight tickets<\/p>\n

Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words ‘Artificial Intelligence AI’ in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. PHOTO: REUTERS <\/p>\n

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\n BEIJING: <\/p>\n

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Chinese entrepreneur Frank Gao used to spend long hours managing his social media accounts, but now he outsources the task to an AI agent tool called OpenClaw. The tool, which has taken China by storm despite official warnings over cybersecurity, is quickly becoming a sensation in tech circles.<\/p>\n

OpenClaw, created in November by Austrian coder Peter Steinberger, differs from bots like ChatGPT because it can execute real-life tasks such as sending emails, organising files, or even booking flight tickets. Gao, who refers to OpenClaw\u2019s red crustacean mascot as \u201cthe lobster,\u201d has been spending hours each day since January using the tool. \u201cWe\u2019re family,\u201d he told AFP, reflecting the personal connection many users feel with their AI assistants.<\/p>\n

Read: <\/strong>One-fifth of Australian teens still use TikTok, Snapchat after social media ban<\/a><\/p>\n

Once users download OpenClaw, they connect it to existing artificial intelligence models of their choice and give it simple instructions via instant messaging apps, just as if communicating with a friend or colleague. The tool has captivated tech-savvy companies and individuals in China, where the demand for the latest advancements in AI technology is high.<\/p>\n

This fascination with OpenClaw has sparked a wave of interest, with hundreds of people attending events at tech giant Baidu\u2019s Beijing headquarters. Engineers at these events help attendees set up their \u201clittle lobsters,\u201d and similar meetups are drawing crowds in cities from Shanghai to Shenzhen. Municipalities, including Wuxi and Hangzhou, have pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the adoption and development of OpenClaw and other AI agents.<\/p>\n

However, the “lobster fever,” as it is called, has also raised concerns over security risks. Gao himself warned that agents like OpenClaw could be dangerous if they gain access to users\u2019 digital keys. “Once they have your digital keys, they can theoretically access all the services you\u2019ve authorised and can autonomously decide when to activate them,” he said. “The attacker effectively gains a ‘master key’ to your digital identity.”<\/p>\n

Chinese cybersecurity authorities and the Ministry of Industry and IT have issued warnings about the potential risks of OpenClaw hacks. \u201cUse intelligent agents such as \u2018lobster\u2019 with caution,\u201d advised national IT research expert Wei Liang, addressing government agencies, public institutions, companies, and individuals. Zhang Yi, founder of the tech consultancy iiMedia, noted that the government’s approach of rolling out policy incentives while issuing warnings reflects its “cautious tolerance” towards the growing trend.<\/p>\n

OpenClaw\u2019s creator, Peter Steinberger, who initially built the tool to help organise his own digital life, was hired last month by ChatGPT maker OpenAI. A separate team of coders behind Moltbook, a Reddit-like pseudo-social network where OpenClaw agents converse, has been recruited by Meta.<\/p>\n

Read more: <\/strong>India plans fresh incentives for phone production in boost for Apple, Samsung<\/a><\/p>\n

Top Chinese tech companies, including Tencent, Alibaba, ByteDance, and Baidu, have also jumped on the bandwagon, offering simplified installation and affordable coding plans to help users host OpenClaw agents on cloud servers. Cloud deployment is seen as safer than downloading the tool directly onto a personal computer. The low cost of deploying OpenClaw in China, subsidised by these big tech firms, is one reason behind its popularity. Gao Rui, a senior product manager at Baidu AI Cloud, explained, “For most people, it\u2019s likely just the price of a cup of coffee… which is why people will probably be keen to give it a try.”<\/p>\n

Fear of missing out (FOMO) has been a significant driver of OpenClaw\u2019s success in China. Chen Yunfei, an AI developer who created a popular online guide for using the tool, said, \u201cMost Chinese people are quite studious and forward-looking, so when confronted with new things, they might have stronger feelings of FOMO.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tool\u2019s arrival has also come at a time when AI in China is perceived differently. Xie Manrui, a programmer working on a system for managing OpenClaw agents, noted that many in China used to view AI as \u201ca clever chatbot that talks all the time but cannot act.\u201d Now, OpenClaw has shifted those perceptions by demonstrating AI’s ability to perform practical tasks.<\/p>\n

At a Baidu event in Beijing, 24-year-old college student Zheng Huimin expressed her curiosity about the tool. “I’d like to give it a go to see what tasks it can actually help me accomplish,” she told AFP, echoing the growing excitement among young users eager to experience the potential of AI agents firsthand.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OpenClaw can execute real-life tasks such as sending emails, organising files, or even booking flight tickets Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words ‘Artificial Intelligence AI’ in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. PHOTO: REUTERS BEIJING: Chinese entrepreneur Frank Gao used to spend long hours managing his social media accounts, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":106064,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.tribune.com.pk\/media\/images\/Artificial-Intelligence-AI1712074987-1\/Artificial-Intelligence-AI1712074987-1-640x480.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}