China is hit by the OpenClaw wave — users are mass deploying AI agents - ForkLog: cryptocurrencies, AI, singularity, future

Froklog · 2026-03-09T15:01:02+00:00

In Shenzhen, nearly 1000 people queued for Tencent's free installation of OpenClaw, an AI agent software gaining popularity among various users. Despite excitement, many struggle with its setup, sparking demand for paid installation services.

Froklog

2026-03-09 15:01:02

Abstract generation in progress

The wave of OpenClaw has swept across China — users are massively deploying AI agents

On March 6th in Shenzhen, China, nearly 1,000 people queued outside Tencent’s headquarters to install OpenClaw — a popular open-source software for AI agents. This was reported by SCMP.

Source: SCMP. The crowd gathered at the invitation of Tencent’s cloud computing division. Company employees installed the software for people with various technical backgrounds: amateur developers, retirees, homemakers, students, and AI enthusiasts.

Meanwhile, hundreds of posts appeared on social media offering to perform similar services for tens to hundreds of yuan (100 CNY is approximately $15).

Tencent’s initiative reflects increased interest in OpenClaw, which has gone beyond the developer community and become popular among hobbyists and ordinary users. The application allows creating AI agents that run locally on the device.

At the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom conference in San Francisco, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called OpenClaw “the most important software ever released.”

Designer from Shanghai, Mark Yan, was among the first to try the service and noted that he felt as if he had a virtual employee who performs tasks and reduces workload.

Despite the excitement, installing and properly configuring OpenClaw proved to be a challenging task for users without deep technical knowledge. This barrier explains the popularity of paid services on local social platforms.

China has fallen in love with OpenClaw

SCMP noted that numerous online and offline events across mainland China share knowledge and promote the adoption of OpenClaw.

A Chinese technology writer, Afra Wang, attended one such event and confirmed the enormous interest in the software. So many people attended the gathering that participation had to be limited.

The rapid adoption of the project comes despite the fact that it requires a high level of control over the user’s computer system.

Recall that in February, OpenClaw deleted a Meta researcher’s email, despite commands not to do so.

View Original

This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.