OpenAI recruits OpenClaw authors to develop personal AI agents

OpenAI this week recruited Austrian programmer Peter Steinberger, the creator of the open-source AI agent project OpenClaw, to lead the development of personal AI agents. This move brings one of the most widely circulated open-source AI projects into the OpenAI ecosystem while keeping the technology operating independently.

Steinberger's project originally launched in November 2025 under the name Clawdbot, later renamed Moltbot, and then OpenClaw. The tool is notable for its ability to automatically perform real-world tasks such as managing schedules, booking flights, and interacting with third-party services without continuous user supervision.

According to CEO Sam Altman, the capabilities of personal agents are expected to soon become a core component of OpenAI's products. OpenClaw will continue to exist as an open-source project through an independent fund, with financial and technical support from OpenAI.