, April 6 -- China's growing focus on artificial intelligence is driving both excitement and concern, as seen in the rising popularity of an AI assistant known as "OpenClaw," nicknamed "lobster" by users.

Wang, a young IT engineer, said he became so absorbed in the tool that he jokingly asked a BBC journalist if he was also an AI. He later described how deeply he has been involved with OpenClaw, which he customised for his own business needs.

Developed by Austrian programmer Peter Steinberger, OpenClaw is based on open-source technology, allowing users in China to adapt it to local AI models. This is especially useful as Western platforms like ChatGPT and Claude are not available in the country.

Wang uses his version of the tool to man...