OpenClaw is a look into an AI-powered future that we’re not ready for yet
The entire Internet has been buzzing about this new OpenClaw AI assistant, but is it really worth it? OpenClaw definitely delivers the AI-driven future I’ve long wanted, but it comes with some negative side effects that you may not initially realize.
OpenClaw finally delivers on the promise of the AI assistant we’ve all been waiting for
An autonomous AI assistant that does things for you before you ask? Say no more
AI can be a fantastic tool when used correctly. I use it quite often for a variety of things, but there are still some things that AI isn’t ideal for: automated and scheduled tasks are one of them.
I admit that I dream of the day when I can have a “hired” AI assistant who functions like a real person, proactively. Instead of having to ask, the AI assistant simply does the things it knows I want it to do. I can give him directions or tell him to stop, but he simply completes the tasks I assign him.
That’s what OpenClaw is: a personal assistant that works even when you’re not.
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OpenClaw started as a side project and ran into security issues alongside it
The developer never intended for it to explode…and it was timed as intended
So, what is OpenClaw? If you’ve never heard of OpenClaw, then you’re not alone. OpenClaw (formerly ClawdBot then MoltBot) is an AI-powered assistant for your daily life. Well, it wasn’t designed to be the assistant of your life, but for the life of its creator.
Peter Steinberger, known as Steipete on the web, developed what was then ClawdBot for his personal use. It was just a unique way to make AI work for him, and it worked well in this environment.
Peter opened OpenClaw on GitHub, and it remained relatively unknown for months before exploding in popularity overnight about two weeks ago. Everyone was talking about it, installing it on their systems, or buying dedicated computers to run it. OpenClaw became an overnight sensation.
However, Peter never really took this reality into account and the AI assistant was not designed for this. There were open ports, bugs, security vulnerabilities and more throughout the program.
As a mood coder myself, I get it. A tool designed for personal use will have much less structure and security than a tool designed for the general public. Personal tools require personal time, and once something works, you just let it go. This is what happened with OpenClaw.
After it exploded, people began to realize what a security issue it was. In fact, OpenClaw attracted the attention of major companies, like Cisco, who detailed what a “security nightmare” the bot was. Users on the r/cybersecurity subreddit are also documenting how much of a problem OpenClaw is (and will continue to be).
Sure, Peter (and I guess a team now) is working tirelessly to fix OpenClaw, but it was such an overnight sensation that it’s almost impossible to fix this quickly. Even today, OpenClaw is almost all I see on my social feeds when I scroll through them. Even the uninitiated are starting to talk about it.
Although many security vulnerabilities have been fixed, there is a bigger problem with OpenClaw.
The market needs a plot security improvements
One of the best (and worst) parts of OpenClaw is ClawHub, a skills repository that OpenClaw can use. I like that this repository is open for anyone to view, submit, and use. However, this is also its biggest drawback.
ClawHub offers, as of February 2, more than 300 malware-filled skills for users to download and use. It’s not just random skills you might never encounter: the #1 uploaded skill on ClawHub was full of malware. Cisco is right: this truly is a security nightmare.
Although the OpenClaw team can patch OpenClaw itself to resolve its security issues, fixing the market will take much more than a few lines of code. It’s already full of malware, and who knows how long it will take to fix it.
Yesterday, February 5, OpenClaw partnered with VirusTotal for skills on ClawHub. This will certainly help, but the damage has already been done to many people’s systems.
I ran OpenClaw on two of my own systems: a virtual machine at home and on a remote VPS. This is a really cool tool that I to want to use and exploit, but I just couldn’t get it to do what I needed it to do yet. Not without costing me an arm and a leg in chips, anyway. The simple setup cost me around $15 in tokens on Gemini, ChatGPT and Claude.
OpenClaw is definitely a look at the future of AI-powered assistants, and I’m very excited about what the future holds. However, it is also a lesson that not everything is what it seems. When I first discovered OpenClaw, I thought it was a solid project with funding (or at least a team) and I trusted it blindly. I’m glad I didn’t succumb to any issues (that I’m still experiencing), but it shows that all is not as it seems.
The next time a particular AI assistant gains popularity with everyone talking about it, I’ll do some research before running it myself, and I suggest you do the same.
