Chinese tech crowds flock to install AI assistant ‘OpenClaw’
Beijing: On a recent weekday, around 50 people lined up outside the headquarters of a Chinese mobile internet company, waiting for engineers to help install an artificial intelligence assistant on their laptops.
The scene has played out for days at several events in Beijing. Similar crowds gathered in March in Shenzhen, the southern technology hub, as users queued for help setting up the popular AI “agent” OpenClaw.
Engineers worked through the lines, guiding people through downloads, setup, and troubleshooting. For many in the crowd, it was their first time installing an AI agent directly onto personal devices. The surge reflects growing public interest in AI tools that run locally on laptops rather than through cloud platforms. OpenClaw, developed in China, has drawn attention for its promise of personalised assistance without constant internet connectivity.
Companies have been hosting in-person setup drives to meet demand and address technical barriers. Attendees ranged from students to small business owners, all looking to bring AI capabilities to their daily work.
With lines forming in both Beijing and Shenzhen, the rollout signals how quickly consumer AI adoption is moving beyond chatbots and into hands-on, device-level tools.
