24/7 Space News
ROBO SPACE
OpenAI hires creator of 'OpenClaw' AI agent tool

OpenAI hires creator of 'OpenClaw' AI agent tool

by AFP Staff Writers
Washington, United States (AFP) Feb 16, 2026

OpenAI has hired the Austrian creator of OpenClaw, an artificial intelligence tool able to execute real-world tasks, the US startup's head Sam Altman said on Sunday.

AI agent tool OpenClaw has fascinated -- and spooked -- the tech world since researcher Peter Steinberger built it in November to help organise his digital life.

A Reddit-like pseudo social network for OpenClaw agents called Moltbook, where chatbots converse, has also grabbed headlines and provoked soul-searching over AI.

Elon Musk called Moltbook "the very early stages of the singularity" -- a term for the moment when human intelligence is overwhelmed by AI forever, although some people have questioned to what extent humans are manipulating the bots' posts.

Steinberger "is joining OpenAI to drive the next generation of personal agents," Altman wrote in an X post.

"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," he said.

"We expect this will quickly become core to our product offerings," Altman wrote, saying that OpenClaw would remain an open-source project within a foundation supported by OpenAI.

"The future is going to be extremely multi-agent and it's important to us to support open source as part of that."

Users of OpenClaw download the tool, and connect it to generative AI models such as ChatGPT.

They then communicate with their AI agent through WhatsApp or Telegram, as they would with a friend or colleague.

Many users gush over the tool's futuristic abilities to send emails and buy things online, but others report an overall chaotic experience with added cybersecurity risks.

Only a small percentage of OpenAI's nearly one billion users pay for subscription services, putting pressure on the company to find new revenue sources.

It has begun testing advertisements and sponsored content in the massively popular ChatGPT, spawning privacy concerns as it looks for ways to start balancing its hundreds of billions in spending commitments.

Related Links
All about the robots on Earth and beyond!

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
ROBO SPACE
Flexible electronics reshape intelligent robot design
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 08, 2026
With robots taking on more roles in daily life and industry, their evolution toward autonomous intelligence is being held back by rigid electronic hardware that cannot conform to complex, curved bodies. Traditional hard components are difficult to mount on non planar robot surfaces, which limits the integration of critical sensing, computation, and actuation functions that underpin perception, decision making, and precision control. A new review led by Professor Xiaodong Chen of Nanyang Technologi ... read more

ROBO SPACE
Launch to ISS pushed to Thursday over weather: NASA

Voyager wins NASA ISS mission management role through 2030

International crew takes off for space station

NASA confirms first flight to ISS since medical evacuation

ROBO SPACE
NASA Stennis proves water systems ready for Artemis IV upper stage trials

Macron calls Musk 'an oversubsidised guy', prompting retort

SpaceX shifts focus from Mars to Moon, Musk says

Isar Aerospace expands engine and stage testing at Esrange

ROBO SPACE
Mars' 'Young' Volcanoes Were More Complex Than Scientists Once Thought

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4788-4797: Welcome Back from Conjunction

NASA Study: Non-biologic Processes Don't Fully Explain Mars Organics

Martian toxin found to toughen microbe built bricks

ROBO SPACE
Dragon spacecraft gears up for crew 12 arrival and station science work

China prepares offshore test base for reusable liquid rocket launches

Retired EVA workhorse to guide China's next-gen spacesuit and lunar gear

Tiangong science program delivers data surge

ROBO SPACE
BlackSky expands Gen 3 Assured deals with new defense customer

Muon Space ramps up multi-mission satellite constellations

ESA member states back SWISSto12 HummingSat with fresh funding round

Aerospacelab expands Pulsar navigation constellation work with new Xona satellite order

ROBO SPACE
Astroscale Japan to mature electric refueling for future GEO servicing

Anthropic unveils new AI model as OpenAI rivalry heats up

Scaling rules for metamaterials promise better implants and safer devices

AI's bitter rivalry heads to Washington

ROBO SPACE
Debris disc oddities point to hidden outer planets

JWST study links sulfur rich gas giants to core growth in distant HR 8799 system

Pressure driven leakage from marine snow feeds deep ocean microbes

Engineered microbes use light to build new molecules

ROBO SPACE
Jupiter size refined by new radio mapping

Polar weather on Jupiter and Saturn hints at the planets' interior details

Europa ice delamination may deliver nutrients to hidden ocean

Birth conditions fixed water contrast on Jupiters moons

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.