An artificial intelligence-powered digital personal assistant developed by an Austria-born millennial inventor — and acquired by the United States-based company OpenAI — has taken the world by storm, sending Chinese tech giants into a scramble to launch localized versions of the open-source AI tool while prompting regulators to warn of potential security risks.

OpenClaw is an autonomous AI agent that runs on a user's machine, and unlike standard tools that wait for a prompt, it is capable of managing emails and controlling web browsers on its own to complete workflows, especially through various messaging apps. The digital agent's curious red lobster logo has led Chinese users to playfully refer to it as the "AI lobster".

Industry experts said that what started as a developer's experiment overseas has quickly evolved into a broader technology movement in China. They said that it outlines a different path for China's AI development, with key focus on building "small but capable" practical tools, rather than competing solely in terms of size and computing power.

On Monday, China's State-backed national supercomputing network joined the trend by announcing that OpenClaw services were connected to its major interactive workplace platforms, including ByteDance's Feishu and Tencent's WeCom. The network is known for its cost-effective use of large, high-performance digital models.

On the same day, Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings rolled out WorkBuddy, a full-scenario AI agent designed to integrate with Chinese workplace and messaging tools. Compatible with OpenClaw's core skills, WorkBuddy simplifies the process of setting up "AI lobster" into a one-minute configuration that seamlessly connects with popular apps such as QQ.

Last week, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi announced that it has begun limited testing of miclaw, a mobile AI agent built on the company's proprietary model. The software is designed to integrate directly with Xiaomi's smartphone ecosystem, enabling tasks such as travel planning, schedule management and smart home control.

Zhou Hongyi, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body, said on the sidelines of the ongoing two sessions that "AI lobster" has transformed intangible cloud software into a digital personal assistant that lives in a user's computer, and most important, it is incredibly easy to operate.

"Historically, high-end AI models were the specialty of some tech giants and came with high operating costs. The 'AI lobster' breaks this monopoly and makes AI affordable and accessible for small and medium-sized enterprises as well as individuals," said Zhou, who is also founder of the 360 Security Group.

Last week, nearly 1,000 people gathered outside Tencent's headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, carrying their laptops in order to participate in a free OpenClaw installation event announced by the company.

On Chinese e-commerce platforms, remote OpenClaw installation services cost between 50 yuan and 300 yuan ($7 to $40), while the price tag for in-person services is around 500 yuan.

Zhou Di, a professor at Hangzhou Dianzi University in Zhejiang province and a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, noted that "AI lobster" has gained huge popularity in the Chinese market because it fully resonates with the real market demand for AI in the country.

"China develops AI differently than the US," he said. "China doesn't rely only on building bigger models that require huge computing power. Instead, it develops efficient and lightweight models, much like the 'AI lobster', allowing them to take root in vertical sectors, such as industrial inspection and medical diagnostics, to solve real-world problems."

Nevertheless, the growing popularity of a foreign AI tool has raised concerns. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology warned that some OpenClaw installations could pose "extremely high" security risks.

"If not configured properly, it will have the potential to expose sensitive data," the regulator said.