China’s 'raise a lobster' AI assistant craze sparks security warnings

"Have you raised a lobster yet?" Xie Manrui, a 36-year-old software engineer in Shenzhen, southern China, told MIT Technology Review he has been hearing constantly over the past month.

"Lobster" is the nickname Chinese users have given OpenClaw, a reference to its logo.

Xie has been experimenting with the tool since January and has developed several open-source tools built on top of the OpenClaw ecosystem, including one that visualizes the agent’s progress as an animated desktop worker and another that enables voice chat.

"I’ve met so many new people through ‘lobster raising,’" Xie said. "Many are lawyers or doctors, with little technical background, but all dedicated to learning new things."

OpenClaw logo on phone's screen. Photo from X

OpenClaw was created by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger. With user permission, the AI agent can open applications, search for information, compare prices, generate documents and complete multi-step tasks with minimal supervision. Since its release in November 2025, the tool has rapidly gained traction and become one of the fastest-growing projects in the history of GitHub, the world’s most widely used AI-powered developer platform.

The OpenClaw phenomenon has quickly spread both online and offline in China.

In February, entrepreneur and tech influencer Fu Sheng hosted a livestream demonstrating OpenClaw’s capabilities that drew around 20,000 views. Last weekend, Xie attended three OpenClaw-themed events in Shenzhen, each attracting more than 500 participants. These unofficial gatherings bring together power users, technology influencers and venture capitalists who share tools, demonstrations and ideas for new applications.

China’s major technology companies are also seeking to capitalize on the trend by promoting their own AI models, APIs, cloud services and OpenClaw-style agents. Earlier this month, Tencent organized a public event offering free installation support for OpenClaw at its headquarters in Shenzhen, drawing nearly 1,000 people, including children and elderly users, who queued for help installing the software.

Local governments have also begun supporting the emerging ecosystem.

Authorities in Longgang District in Shenzhen recently introduced policies offering free computing credits and cash rewards for OpenClaw-related projects. Other cities, including Wuxi in eastern China, have launched similar initiatives.

Users get helped from Tencent engineers to install OpenClaw on their phones and computers at an open event in Shenzhen, China. Photo courtesy of Tencent

Despite the growing enthusiasm, experts warn that the technology is still evolving and carries security and reliability risks. OpenClaw has already been flagged by developers and cybersecurity researchers for potential vulnerabilities, according to Channel News Asia.

Because the system allows users to install third-party "skills" that expand the agent’s capabilities, poorly designed or malicious tools could expose sensitive data or perform unintended actions. The assistant may also require high-level access to a user’s device to perform certain automated tasks, raising concerns about unauthorized system access and possible data leaks.

On March 10, the Chinese cybersecurity regulator CNCERT issued a warning about the security and data risks tied to OpenClaw, saying it heightens users’ exposure to data breaches.

Chinese government agencies and state-owned enterprises, including major banks, have recently received notices advising them not to install OpenClaw on office devices due to security concerns, according to Bloomberg.

Jiang Yunhui, a technology worker in Ningbo, eastern China, said he is concerned that many ordinary users may struggle with a technology that is still experimental.

"The hype in first-tier cities can be a little overblown," he told MIT Technology Review. "The agent is still a proof of concept, and I doubt it would be of any life-changing use to the average person for now."