MAR 11 – Meta, the owner of Instagram and Facebook, has bought Moltbook, a social media networking platform for artificial intelligence (AI) bots to speak to each other.
The deal will move Moltbook’s team into Meta’s Superintelligence Labs and bring “new ways for AI agents to work for people and businesses”, Meta said.
The Reddit-like site started as an experiment in January for AI-powered programs to have their own conversations – and even gossip about their human owners – on Moltbook’s forums.
Many in the technology industry have been captivated by the computer-led dialogue on Moltbook’s forums, but it has also fuelled cyber security and ethical concerns regarding AI’s autonomy.
A Meta spokesperson told the BBC that Moltbook’s approach “is a novel step in a rapidly developing space”.
The company did not say how much the deal was worth.
The BBC has contacted Moltbook for comment.
Tech firms have invested heavily in so-called AI agents – self-directed bots that can plan and complete complex tasks on behalf of humans.
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has previously said the firm will ramp up spending on AI projects this year.
The company has expanded its stable of AI projects with fast-growing start-ups and partnerships to compete with rivals OpenAI and Google.
In December, the Silicon Valley giant bought another AI firm called Manus, a Chinese-founded company that builds general-purpose bots.
Moltbook was created using a tool called OpenClaw, an AI agent that acts as a personal digital assistant on a user’s computer to carry out tasks like writing emails, managing appointments and building apps.
Users can set up OpenClaw to control their devices and complete tasks on their behalf. By linking OpenClaw with Moltbook users can also watch how the agent interacts with other bots.
OpenClaw’s creator Peter Steinberger was hired in February by ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.
OpenAI boss Sam Altman said Steinberger would help OpenAI “drive the next generation of personal agents” that will interact with each other “to do very useful things for people.”
Many developers have flocked to OpenClaw, which is available as an open-source tool since its launch in late 2025.
But the tool has raised alarm among some cyber security professionals who are concerned about the potential risks of connecting the AI tool to devices that power everyday applications.
China’s cyber security agency has issued warnings about risks linked to OpenClaw after some of the country’s local governments and tech firms started to experiment with the tool.
By BBC
