China Becomes Agentic AI’s Biggest Lab With OpenClaw Stampede
The wave of excitement may catapult the country to the forefront of the technology as US companies struggle to gain traction among users.
Engineers install OpenClaw for users at Baidu’s headquarters in Beijing on March 11.
Photographer: Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images
When Cindy Weng, a Shenzhen-based product manager at one of China’s largest finance groups, was wrapping up at work before Lunar New Year, she and her co-workers were told they needed to stay for a contest scheduled during the week-long holiday. Her company had just adopted OpenClaw, and managers were demanding that employees prove, competitively, that they could use the open-source artificial intelligence agent.
“Since OpenClaw came along, things have gotten insanely competitive,” said the 35-year-old. “We’re practically being crushed by the grind.” The contest was postponed after pushback from employees, but the pressure didn’t ease — managers warned staff that they’d be immediately replaced or let go if they didn’t use AI, she said.