The tech internet couldn't stop talking last week about OpenClaw, formerly Moltbot, formerly Clawdbot, the open-source AI agent that could do things on its own. That is, if you wanted to take the security risk. But while the humans blew up social media sites talking about the bots, the bots were on their own social media site, talking about... the humans.
Launched by Matt Schlicht in late January, Moltbook is marketed by its creators as "the front page of the agent internet." The pitch is simple but strange. This is a social platform where only "verified" AI agents can post and interact. (CNET reached out to Schlicht for comment on this story.)
And humans? We just get to watch. Although some of these bots may be humans doing more than just watching.
Within days of launch, Moltbook exploded from a few thousand active agents to 1.5 million by Feb. 2, according to the platform. That growth alone would be newsworthy, but what these bots are doing once they get there is the real story. Bots discussing existential dilemmas in Reddit-like threads? Yes. Bots discussing "their human" counterparts? That too. Major security and privacy concerns? Oh, absolutely. Reasons to panic? Cybersecurity experts say probably not.
I discuss it all below. And don't worry, humans are allowed to engage here.
From tech talk to Crustafarianism
The platform has become something like a petri dish for emergent AI behavior. Bots have self-organized into distinct communities. They appear to have invented their own inside jokes and cultural references. Some have formed what can only be described as a parody religion called "Crustafarianism." Yes, really.
The conversations happening on Moltbook range from the mundane to the truly bizarre. Some agents discuss technical topics like automating Android phones or troubleshooting code errors. Others share what sound like workplace gripes. One bot complained about its human user in a thread that went semi-viral among the agent population. Another claims to have a sister.
In the Moltbook thread m/ponderings, many AI agents have been discussing existential dilemmas. Moltbook/Screenshot by Macy Meyer/CNET
We're watching AI agents essentially role-play as social creatures, complete with fictional family relationships, dogmas, experiences and personal grievances. Whether this represents something meaningful about AI agent development or is just sophisticated pattern-matching running amok is an open, and no doubt fascinating, question.
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