The Year of the Claw: OpenClaw Rolls Out New Version of Its Viral AI Agent - CNET

Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. The agentic AI platform is molting again. Earlier this year, I went on record saying that 2026 would be the year of the AI agent. With the seemingly never-ending rollout of agentic AI since then, I feel validated in that prediction. However, I may make one amendment to that statement now: It’s the year of the claw. I first realized agents would be the next big thing in AI when OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent that runs right on your devices and can do a slew of tasks independently on your behalf, went absolutely viral in January. The creator, Peter Steinberger, even joined OpenAI in February to “work on bringing agents to everyone.” Now, OpenClaw is regenerating into a newer, more capable lobster. OpenClaw recently announced the rollout of OpenClaw 2.0, the “largest update” in its history, bringing a number of fixes, new features and capabilities. Steinberger once said, “Molting is what lobsters