Hustlers are cashing in on China’s OpenClaw AI craze
Savvy early adopters in China are creating a cottage industry by offering installation and support services for the popular, complex OpenClaw AI tool.Summary
The open-source AI tool OpenClaw, which autonomously completes tasks, has become a major tech obsession in China, leading to a lucrative business opportunity for technically skilled early adopters. Individuals like software engineer Feng Qingyang quit their jobs to offer installation support services for the tool, which requires technical knowledge most general users lack. This demand has spurred a cottage industry offering installation guides, technical support packages, and preconfigured hardware, with some services charging hundreds of RMB. The craze is evident in massive, unofficial user gatherings and influencer livestreams, prompting even major tech companies like Tencent and local governments to offer support. However, this rapid adoption raises significant security and data privacy concerns, leading to official warnings from the Chinese cybersecurity regulator CNCERT, though enthusiasm for the technology remains high.
(Source：MIT Technology Review)