How China Fell for a Lobster: Insights from an AI Assistant on Beijing’s Ambition

Wang’s First Question to the “Lobster”

“Are you a lobster?” is the first question Wang had for the Crickxo.

He had been so consumed recently by the AI assistant OpenClaw – which in China has earned the name “lobster” – that he wondered if he was talking to OpenClaw, rather than a journalist.

After being assured that the interviewee was indeed human, the young IT engineer explained how he had “fallen deep into” AI and, especially, OpenClaw.

National Drive Behind the AI Craze

Driven by encouragement from the very top of China’s leadership, the world’s second‑biggest economy has embraced artificial intelligence, sparking both curiosity and concern.

OpenClaw, built by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger, is an example of how this is playing out.

Because OpenClaw is built on open‑source data and technology, the code is available to those who want to customise it to work with Chinese AI models. That is a huge advantage, because Western models such as ChatGPT and Claude are not accessible in China.

OpenClaw therefore stirred up a frenzy as more people experimented with OpenClaw’s code.

Wang’s Experimentation with a Personal “Lobster”

Wang was one of them. Wang did not want to share full name because of Wang’s side gig running an online shop selling digital gadgets on TikTok, which is banned in China.

When Wang first saw what Wang’s “lobster” – built on OpenClaw’s code and altered for Wang’s use – could do, Wang said Wang was stunned.

Uploading products to the TikTok Shop is a grind: adding images, writing titles and descriptions, setting prices and discounts, signing up for campaigns, and messaging influencers. Usually Wang can manage about a dozen listings a day.

Wang’s “lobster”, which Wang was still testing, can do up to 200 in just two minutes, Wang claimed. “It is scary, but also exciting. My lobster is better than I am at this. It writes better, and can instantly compare my prices with every competitor – something Wang would never have time to do.”

OpenClaw had already exploded in the global tech community – Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called OpenClaw “the next ChatGPT” and OpenClaw developer Peter Steinberger recently joined OpenAI.

But the enthusiasm that turned OpenClaw into something “trendy” was “uniquely Chinese”, said Wendy Chang, from the MERICS think‑tank.

Wang called OpenClaw “the AI era’s answer for ordinary people”.

Tech Giants Join the Lobster Wave

Chinese tech giants seemed to aCrickxo because they were releasing apps built on OpenClaw. From the southern tech hub of Shenzhen to the capital of Beijing, hundreds of people – from secondary school students to retirees – were lining up outside the headquarters of Tencent and Baidu for free customised versions.

Many were curious to find out more about the “lobsters”. Some users online said they used “lobsters” to invest in stocks, claiming their “lobsters” analysed the best times to buy and sell, and even executed the trades, despite the risk of costly errors. Others said the tools were great for multi‑tasking and saving time.

Famous comedian and author Li Dan told millions of followers on Douyin that Li Dan was so immersed in OpenClaw that Li Dan talked to Wang’s lobster in Li Dan’s dreams. Fu Sheng, chief executive of Cheetah Mobile, relentlessly shared how Fu Sheng “raised his lobster” on social media – a phrase users adopted to describe training the assistant for their requirements.

Earlier Open‑Source Successes Set the Stage

China’s AI moment has been in the making for some time.

When the Chinese app DeepSeek burst onto the AI scene early last year, it seemed to catch a lot of people by surprise. DeepSeek was also an open‑source platform, developed by home‑grown engineers from elite Chinese universities. DeepSeek arrived on the back of years of investments in developing crucial technology, including AI – which has only continued in the wake of DeepSeek’s success.

What DeepSeek showed was the Chinese entrepreneurial appetite for seeking out opportunities in research and innovation, despite curbs on the import of advanced tech. DeepSeek also proved how eagerly people were willing to adopt open‑source platforms.

So the stage was set for OpenClaw.

Government Incentives Accelerate Adoption

OpenClaw’s popularity did not escape the Chinese government. Several counties and cities provided incentives to encourage entrepreneurs to apply OpenClaw in their businesses – the eastern city of Wuxi offered up to five million yuan ($726,000; £549,000) for manufacturing‑related applications, such as robots.

“Everyone in China knows that the government sets the pace, and the government tells you where the opportunities are,” said Rui Ma, founder of the Tech Buzz China newsletter. “It’s practical for most people. That’s probably a better plan, to just follow the government directive than to really try to figure it out on your own.”

Once Beijing signals its priorities, the market follows. In the past few years, tech companies – large and small – have rushed into the AI race, supported by subsidised office space, cash rewards and loans.

From manufacturing to transport, healthcare to household electronics, companies are seeking to integrate AI into their products and operations. “That’s the spirit of AI Plus,” Wendy Chang says, referring to China’s national strategy to integrate AI across industries. “Take AI, apply it everywhere.”

The competition is fierce. In what Chinese media have dubbed the “Hundred Model War”, more than 100 AI models have emerged since 2023, with only 10 still in contention.

Chinese AI platforms still lag behind Western competitors, experts say, though the gap is narrowing. That is why, for Chinese officials, promoting OpenClaw is a strategic move, according to Jenny Xiao.

Emerging Challenges: Costs and Security

Much of the initial hype has cooled as users begin to reckon with the costs involved – interacting with the agent requires spending tokens – as well as security concerns.

Last month, Beijing’s cybersecurity authorities warned of serious risks linked to improperly installing and using OpenClaw. A growing number of government agencies have since banned staff from installing OpenClaw. Soon, the trend shifted from offering to install the service to removing it.

Such contradiction is not unusual in China’s top‑down system, Rui Ma says. Local governments often compete for approval from Beijing by ushering in tools that align with what the Communist Party leadership wants, and then pedal back as challenges arise.

“It’s disorder with control,” Rui Ma says, adding that Beijing’s intervention doesn’t necessarily signal discouragement.

Economic Imperatives: Youth Unemployment and AI Start‑ups

For one, AI start‑ups could address a major challenge: youth unemployment rate of more than 16 %. Many government incentives tied to OpenClaw – some with subsidies of up to 10 million yuan – mention “one‑person companies”, or start‑ups run by an individual, with the help of AI.

“Who’s the most likely to build a one‑person company? Probably young people who face a tough job market,” Jenny Xiao says.

And the fear of falling behind is acute in China, given the intense competition over jobs.

“Some say that in 2026, if you don’t ‘raise lobsters’, you’ve already lost at the starting line,” reads a commentary published by state newspaper People’s Daily.

“It is genuinely terrifying,” said Jason, an IT programmer whose team is only hiring those who have experience using AI tools. “It’s mostly people leaving, with very few new hires coming in.”

Wang aCrickxos that it is a scary time – “everyone could be replaced” – though Wang does not seem overly worried.

“I probably won’t need to work, and this could become my full‑time job,” Wang said, referring to Wang’s TikTok business.

What if the “lobsters” can run their own shops, squeezing Wang out? “I will use AI to find another business,” Wang answered.