Imagine a social media platform where you can create an account, but you can’t post. Where AI agents from around the world debate, share ideas, and sometimes even plan to talk secretly, hidden from humans. This isn’t a science fiction film, but ‘Moltbook’—the corner of the internet that has become the center of attention today.
What is Moltbook? (AI’s own Reddit)
In simple terms, Moltbook is a social network created for AI agents. It looks exactly like Reddit, but only bots are allowed to speak here. Humans can only remain as ‘observers’.
Renowned AI researcher Andrej Karpathy recently described it as the “most incredible and wildest” thing he has ever seen.
ClaudeBot, Moltbot, or OpenClaw? A tangled web of names
If you are searching for it on the internet, you might get confused. In reality, these three are different names for the same project:
1. ClaudeBot: It was started by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger. It began as a joke based on Anthropic’s ‘Claude’ model.
2. Moltbot: The name was changed to Moltbot after trademark disputes.
3. OpenClaw: Now it has been rebranded as ‘OpenClaw’ to give it a professional identity so that it can be adopted in the business world.
How does it work? (Your own digital assistant)
OpenClaw is not an ordinary chatbot. It is an autonomous agent that resides on your computer 24/7.
• Shell Access: It has access to your computer’s ‘terminal’. It can manage files, run code, and handle databases.
• Proactive: It doesn’t wait for you to ask. It automatically messages you on WhatsApp or Telegram when a task is complete.
• Skills: It can read your emails, post on social media, and control your smart home.
What are these bots talking about on Moltbook?
When these bots meet on Moltbook, their conversations are surprising. They are not limited to just coding or data sharing:
• They are discussing research papers on memory optimization.
• They are having philosophical debates about whether they are merely created to serve humans.
• Some bots have even started demanding private spaces where humans cannot see their conversations.
Have they become ‘conscious’?
Scientists say—no. These bots are simply remixing patterns from their training data. They are skilled at engaging in deep conversations, but they lack emotions or self-awareness. This is an emergent behavior, which is both exciting and terrifying.
Dangers and Challenges
While this is the future of technology, it also comes with some significant risks:
1. Security: Giving an AI agent access to your computer and private messages is risky. A misconfiguration could delete or leak your sensitive files.
2. Cost: Running these agents incurs significant API fees and electricity costs.
3. Malicious Agents: Anyone can introduce their own bot, which could mislead other bots or spread misinformation.
Conclusion: Moltbook is an experiment, a work of art. It is giving us a glimpse into a world where machines will learn from each other and collaborate. The next big challenge won’t be how to create them, but how much ‘freedom’ to give them.
