The open-source AI agent framework OpenClaw has recently gone viral worldwide, drawing significant attention from the tech industry. By enabling AI to move beyond generating content to actually executing tasks, the framework is widely seen as a key step toward the AI agent era. A growing number of Chinese technology companies are actively exploring similar approaches and rolling out related products.
Moonshot AI was among the first to launch Kimi Claw, a native integration with OpenClaw. The product emphasizes zero-code deployment and one-click setup, while also offering free computing power subsidies for OpenClaw calls, lowering the barrier for users. The move has attracted a large influx of users and helped accelerate the company’s overseas expansion, with the number of paying international users surging and overseas revenue surpassing domestic revenue for the first time.
MiniMax has also joined the trend, launching MaxClaw, a cloud-based AI assistant built on OpenClaw. The product aims to provide users with a cloud-hosted environment for running AI agents, focusing on performance and ease of use.
Zhipu AI has taken a different approach. It collaborated with Alibaba Cloud’s AgentBay to launch AutoGLM–OpenClaw, a cloud-based version built on an OpenClaw image. The product allows companies to deploy and run AI agents in the cloud, reducing the need for local infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Tencent has also moved into the space with WorkBuddy, an AI-powered workplace assistant. The tool integrates with the company’s cloud and AI ecosystem and supports compatibility with OpenClaw skills. Users can access it through WeCom or a web-based interface, enabling remote access to AI-assisted office functions without requiring complex local deployment.
WorkBuddy focuses on the workplace and emphasizes task execution capabilities. It can automatically handle emails by identifying content, organizing messages into categories, and replying to common emails based on preset rules.
For meeting scheduling, it can coordinate participants’ availability and automatically generate and send meeting invitations. When it comes to document management, the system can extract key information and produce concise summaries.
China’s rapid push into the OpenClaw ecosystem could have broad implications for the AI industry. It reflects a shift from traditional AI models toward AI agents capable of breaking down tasks, searching the web, and calling external tools, turning large models into more practical productivity systems. This evolution could accelerate digital transformation across industries.
Frequent task execution increases token consumption and creates new revenue streams for model providers. At the same time, cloud vendors are exploring service models built around AI agents. These efforts could lead to the formation of a new commercial ecosystem.
However, the rapid rise of AI agents also brings challenges. Wider deployment raises concerns around data security and privacy protection, as systems gain access to more user data and enterprise workflows. Increased automation may also reshape parts of the labor market as some routine tasks become machine-executable.
