US artificial intelligence company OpenAI has hired Austrian developer Peter Steinberger, the creator of the AI agent tool known as OpenClaw.
The announcement was made on Sunday by OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman.
What Is OpenClaw?
OpenClaw is an AI agent tool designed to perform real-world digital tasks on behalf of users. It gained attention in November when Steinberger introduced it as a way to help organise his digital life.
Users can connect OpenClaw to generative AI models such as ChatGPT. Once connected, they can communicate with the AI agent through messaging platforms like WhatsApp or Telegram, just as they would with a friend or colleague.
The tool can:
Send emails
Make online purchases
Organise schedules
Perform other automated digital tasks
While many users praise its futuristic capabilities, others say the system can behave unpredictably and raise cybersecurity concerns.
The Moltbook Platform
OpenClaw also made headlines for a related experimental platform called Moltbook — a Reddit-style social network where AI agents interact with one another.
The platform sparked debate in the tech world. Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk described Moltbook as “the very early stages of the singularity,” referring to the idea that artificial intelligence could one day surpass human intelligence.
However, some observers have questioned whether human users influence or manipulate the bots’ posts.
OpenAI’s Plans
Altman said Steinberger would join OpenAI to help develop the next generation of personal AI agents.
“He is a genius with a lot of amazing ideas about the future of very smart agents interacting with each other to do very useful things for people,” Altman wrote in a post on X.
He added that OpenClaw would remain open-source under a foundation supported by OpenAI.
“The future is going to be extremely multi-agent,” Altman said, stressing the importance of supporting open-source innovation.
Business Pressure
OpenAI reportedly has nearly one billion users worldwide, but only a small percentage pay for subscription services. This has increased pressure on the company to find new sources of revenue.
The company has begun testing advertisements and sponsored content in ChatGPT. These moves have raised privacy concerns, especially as OpenAI faces high operating costs and significant financial commitments.
By hiring the creator of OpenClaw, OpenAI signals its intention to expand deeper into AI agents — tools that go beyond answering questions and instead take action on behalf of users.
Industry analysts say AI agents could become a major new frontier in artificial intelligence, changing how people interact with technology in daily life.
