AI circle's' lobster farming 'craze: from open source tools to nationwide enthusiasm, safety bottom line must be guarded under the carnival

Have you 'raised lobsters' yet? "Recently, this seemingly unrelated question has become the most popular social code in the AI community and even across the internet. The "lobster" here is not the delicious food on the dining table, but an open-source AI intelligent agent software called OpenClaw - because its icon resembles a red crayfish, netizens affectionately call it "lobster", and the process of deploying and debugging this software is jokingly referred to as "raising lobsters".
From the bustling scene of nearly a thousand people queuing up to install it downstairs at Tencent Building in Shenzhen, to the viral spread of the "Shrimp Diary" on social media platforms, and to the urgent safety warning issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, this "red lobster" has quickly become a popular technology hotspot in just a few days, from a niche toy for tech enthusiasts. What is the origin of this sudden craze for raising lobsters? Why can it trigger a nationwide frenzy of looting? What are the undeniable risks hidden behind the craze?

Decoding 'Raising Lobster': Not Just a meme, but also an AI agent capable of 'hands-on work'

To understand the popularity of "raising lobsters", the first thing to clarify is: what exactly is "lobster". Unlike the chat style AI we are familiar with, OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent framework that was first released at the end of 2025. Its core positioning is as a "digital employee" or "personal assistant" - its biggest feature is that it can directly take over the mouse, keyboard, software, and web pages of computers and phones, and automatically complete various repetitive tasks through natural language instructions, rather than just providing text solutions.

Simply put, traditional AI is "eloquent", while "lobster" is "hands-on". For example, you don't need to manually organize files, send emails, or create reports. Just give a command to "Lobster" and it will automatically complete it; If you want to monitor product prices and book tickets, it can also be on duty 24 hours a day without manual intervention throughout the process; Even for users with programming background, it can assist in troubleshooting code bugs and completing framework design, becoming an efficient work assistant.

From a technical perspective, "Lobster" itself does not produce intelligence and requires the integration of large models such as DeepSeek and GPT as the "thinking core", which is equivalent to equipping these large models with "hands and feet", breaking the limitations of traditional AI that is limited to "dialogue boxes", and achieving a leap from "dialogue based AI" to "action based AI". Its deployment method is flexible, can be installed on local computers or cloud servers, and is open source and free of charge. There is no mandatory fee in non-commercial scenarios, which has laid the foundation for its popularity.

The term 'raising lobsters' used by netizens essentially refers to the deployment, debugging, and optimization process of OpenClaw. Due to the technical operations involved in software such as environment configuration, API calling, and permission settings, it is not easy to get started with. Users need to spend time learning and debugging, patiently caring for the "lobster" like a pet, in order to make it more suitable for their usage needs. This is also the origin of the meme "raising lobsters".

Explosive truth: multiple factors combined, igniting the enthusiasm of the whole nation for "raising shrimp"

Why can an open-source AI tool explode the entire network in a short period of time? The popularity of "raising lobsters" is not accidental, but the result of multiple factors such as technological trends, market demand, and social communication. Behind it is the urgent expectation of the public for "fully automated AI assistants".

Firstly, the experience upgrade brought about by technological breakthroughs is the core confidence of explosive growth. Before the emergence of "lobster", most AI tools were limited to "providing suggestions" and could not directly operate devices to complete tasks. Users still needed to manually perform subsequent steps. The emergence of "lobster" fills this gap - it can automatically execute tasks across software and platforms, truly achieving "hands-free", especially for professionals and entrepreneurs who need to handle a large amount of repetitive work. This "automation ability" is highly attractive. As a corporate technician said, "In the past, it used to take 2 hours a day to organize reports, but now 'Lobster' can do it in 10 minutes, and the rest of the time can be focused on more valuable work

Secondly, the promotion of policy trends has added fuel to the "lobster farming" craze. For the first time in 2026, the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference will include "creating a new form of intelligent economy" in the government work report, clearly stating the need to "accelerate the promotion of the new generation of intelligent terminals and agents". As a typical representative of AI agents, "Lobster" perfectly aligns with policy guidance. At the same time, local governments have also responded quickly. Wuxi High tech Zone recently released a draft of relevant policies for soliciting opinions, introducing 12 support measures with a maximum single support of 5 million yuan; Futian District in Shenzhen has taken the lead in applying "crayfish" to the field of government affairs, launching "government crayfish" to assist in handling people's livelihood demands, allowing AI intelligent agents to move from technological exploration to practical applications, and further enhancing the attention to "crayfish farming".

Furthermore, the fission effect of social communication has accelerated the spread of the craze. 'Raising Lobster' comes with its own 'meme attribute', which is easy to remember and full of fun, suitable for spreading on social media platforms. Many users have posted their "shrimp farming achievements" on social media platforms, sharing various tasks that "lobster" has helped them complete. Some even shared screenshots of earning thousands of yuan a day by "packaging lobster", which has sparked a trend of following the crowd. On March 6th, a scene of nearly a thousand people queuing up to install "Lobster" appeared downstairs of Tencent Building in Shenzhen. The queue was winding and tortuous, and the scene flooded social media, further amplifying the popularity; Gao Wen, a deputy to the National People's Congress and an academician of the CAE Member, said that "even Ma Huateng did not expect to raise lobsters so well", which made this hot spot break through the AI circle and enter the public's vision.
In addition, the open source and free attributes, as well as opportunities for "light entrepreneurship," have also lowered the threshold for public participation. Lobster "is open source and free, and ordinary users can download and use it without paying. Its technical threshold has given rise to paid installation, customized processes, tutorial sharing and other related services - remote installation costs 50-100 yuan/time, on-site installation costs 300-800 yuan/time. Some netizens have said that they earned 260000 yuan from this service in just a few days. This model, which can both improve efficiency for personal use and earn money through part-time work, has attracted a large number of ordinary people to participate, further promoting the popularization of "lobster farming".

Beware of risks: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology warns not to step on pits like 'raising lobsters'

Behind the craze for raising lobsters, risks also come with it. Due to the system level operational permissions of "Lobster" and its early stage of development, there are many security vulnerabilities and usage risks. Recently, the Network Security Threat and Vulnerability Information Sharing Platform of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued a high-risk warning, reminding users to be alert to the network security risks brought by "crayfish". Several technical experts and senior shrimp farmers have compiled the following four usage precautions for reference by users.

Firstly, adhere to the principle of minimum privilege and strictly prevent privacy breaches and system loss of control. The core risk of "Lobster" lies in its high privilege - it can access various data such as files, accounts, contacts, etc. on the computer. If not configured properly, it is equivalent to running the device naked. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reminds that "Lobster" is prone to information leakage, system control, and other issues due to command induction, configuration defects, or malicious takeover when configured by default or improperly. Several experts suggest that users should follow the principle of "minimum permission" when using the device, and not give "Lobster" complete control over the device, especially in sensitive areas such as payment software, core work files, and personal social accounts. Access to "Lobster" must be strictly prohibited; At the same time, unnecessary public network access should be closed to avoid exposing the default port 19890 and prevent hackers from controlling it with just one click.

Secondly, refuse to blindly follow the trend and make rational judgments about one's own adaptability. Lobster "is not a zero threshold tool. It requires users to have a certain level of computer operation foundation, involving technical aspects such as environment installation, API configuration, and error handling. Many pure novice users have reported that" downloading for three hours results in twenty errors ", and ultimately cannot be successfully deployed. Technical experts remind that ordinary people should first judge whether they are suitable for "raising lobsters": suitable for users who have repetitive work that requires automation, understand computers, can accept tinkering, and value safety; For users who are pure novices, afraid of trouble, have no clear purpose, or just want to "make a living", it is not recommended to blindly follow the trend. For beginners, they can first test on an idle computer or virtual machine, without touching the main machine, to avoid losing important data due to improper operation.

Thirdly, be wary of hidden costs and various scams to avoid property losses. Although "Lobster" itself is open source and free, there are many hidden costs during use: API call fees range from tens to hundreds of yuan per month (depending on usage), cloud server monthly rent, computer hardware upgrade fees, etc., which accumulate over the long term and are not low. In addition, there have been a large number of scams in the market that involve "paid installation" and "package making money". Some criminals take advantage of users' tendency to follow the trend and package free software as "paid courses" or "exclusive versions". They even implant malicious code and leave backdoors during installation to steal user data and property. Experts remind users to refuse false advertising such as paid installation and guaranteed profits, and not easily allow strangers to remotely control their computers. They should also avoid purchasing so-called "lobster specific equipment" to avoid pitfalls.

Fourth, adhere to the bottom line of compliance and eliminate illegal and irregular use. If the automation capability of "lobster" is abused, it may involve legal risks. For example, using "lobster" to crawl other people's data in bulk, sending spam marketing messages, and unauthorized access to other people's accounts are all illegal operations, and the relevant responsibilities should be borne by the users themselves; In addition, using "lobster" to generate commercial content may also involve copyright infringement issues and face the risk of compensation or account suspension. Experts emphasize that users must adhere to the legal and compliance bottom line when using "lobster", clarify its usage boundaries, and not use tools to engage in illegal and irregular activities; When used in government, enterprise and other scenarios, it is necessary to establish a sound regulatory mechanism. For example, Futian District in Shenzhen provides "guardians" for "government crayfish", and civil servants on duty are responsible for their decision-making process to avoid any illegal operations.

Rationally speaking: 'Lobster' is a tool, not a shortcut to sudden wealth

As an open-source tool, the emergence of "Lobster" has indeed provided new possibilities for improving work efficiency and freeing hands. Its application prospects in government affairs, office, and daily life are worth looking forward to - Shenzhen Futian's "Government Lobster" can automatically analyze people's livelihood demands, predict risks in advance, and shift government services from "post fire extinguishing" to "pre prevention"; Many companies have also begun to apply it to scenarios such as office automation and customer service to reduce operating costs.

But it needs to be clear that 'lobster' is ultimately just a tool, not a 'lying down tool for making money'. The rumors circulating online, such as "raising lobsters earns thousands of yuan a day" and "getting rich quickly with zero threshold", are mostly exaggerated propaganda and even scams. For ordinary people, instead of blindly following the trend and raising lobsters, it is better to view their value rationally.

Industry experts predict that with the continuous maturity of AI technology, there will be more and more AI agents similar to "lobsters", and their security protection and operational convenience will continue to improve. In the future, they are expected to truly integrate into people's lives and various industries. But before that, both users, developers, and relevant departments need to work together: users need to raise their security awareness and use tools rationally; Developers need to improve security mechanisms, fix vulnerabilities, and standardize plugin management; Relevant departments should strengthen supervision, improve laws and regulations, and guide the healthy development of the AI intelligent agent industry.

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