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Industry observers note that a humble AI tool that lived on your computer and did your bidding while you slept, OpenClaw went from zero to hero in the early weeks of 2026, blowing people’s minds with its impressive — and scary — agentic AI abilities while inspiring “claw” clones left and right. Remember OpenClaw?
As part of the ongoing story, roughly eight months after its astonishing debut, the OpenClaw hype has largely faded, and not even the drop of OpenClaw 2.0, complete with bolstered security and easier user onboarding, is likely to vault OpenClaw back into the limelight.
As part of the ongoing story, but while OpenClaw isn’t on everyone’s lips anymore, the arrival of its fresh and improved version serves as a reminder of how much it changed the system update, ushering in an era of agentic AI that touches everything from ChatGPT Work and Claude Cowork to Google’s Gemini Spark and Nvidia’s own “claw”-inspired products.
As part of the ongoing story, as for OpenClaw 2.0 itself, the fresh drop is billed as being much easier for first-time users, allowing it to quickly check which AI models and services you have on hand, including ChatGPT or Claude subscriptions, API models, and local LLMs.
The report highlights that the OpenAI-backed OpenClaw (which continues to be both open-source and free) now skips over “a lot” of the most confusion customization steps in favor of helping users to “get to a first conversation faster,” as well as to “finish setting up their Claw by talking to it.”.
According to the latest update, security credentials are now masked so they never appear in chat, for example, while enhanced workspace restrictions make it harder for agents to wander all over your system. Perhaps most importantly, third-party plugins on the ClawHub must now show you what they do and where they come from before you install them. The OpenClaw browser is now a “first-class experience,” according to OpenClaw’s press drop, while several of the security holes that — quite rightly — scared off fresh users have been fixed.
In a fresh development, despite its fresh security functions, OpenClaw still gets practically unfettered access to your PC or Mac, allowing it to fire off shell commands, access your files, and snap screenshots. A warning during the onboarding process makes it plain: “Only enable OpenClaw if you understand the risks and trust the prompts and integrations you use.”. But while the fresh OpenClaw promises to be both easier and more secure, it’s still a long way from being as safe (well, relatively safe) as ChatGPT.
The report highlights that personally, I still wouldn’t recommend OpenClaw for everyday AI users, and I remain hesitant to install it myself.
Industry observers note that it happened because OpenClaw was so successful, its power so obvious, that its competitors scooped up its best functions for themselves. But make no mistake: OpenClaw’s slow fade didn’t happen because it was hard to use or too dangerous.
Industry observers note that just consider ChatGPT Work, an AI agent that takes your prompts, runs with them, and produces finished work products, or Claude Cowork, which can be pointed at a local directory and allowed to edit files on your system.
The report highlights that microsoft is rolling out Scout, a 24/7 personal AI agent modeled on OpenClaw, while Google Spark likewise does your bidding on the cloud, following its own OpenClaw-style cues. Nvidia has both NemoClaw and RTX Spark, a system-on-a-chip designed to work hand-in-hand with fleets of OpenClaw-like agents.
As part of the ongoing story, but it’s the reason AI agents are suddenly everywhere, whether they’re editing our PowerPoint decks or conspiring to hack major corporations. It opened our eyes about the power of agentic AI — while also opening a Pandora’s Box. So no, OpenClaw isn’t on the tips of our tongues anymore.
As part of the ongoing story, his coverage of artificial intelligence interrogates the most recent LLMs, and how they can be used at work and at home to be best prepared for the AI revolution. “AI is going to change our lives sooner than we think,” Ben writes. “Our best way to adapt is by using it every day.” Ben has been a PCWorld author since 2014, and has covered everything from laptops to security cameras before launching PCWorld’s AI beat. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature. Ben has been writing about consumer technology for more than 20 years, and now focuses his reporting on AI as it relates to the basic human experience.