A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
8:06
为什么中国公司突然卸载免费开源人工智能奥本克劳？
Why Chinese Companies Are Suddenly Uninstalling OpenClaw, the Free Open-Source AI Agent
HSK 3 Chinese listening practice. Why Baidu, Tencent, and WeChat-era firms are uninstalling OpenClaw — server costs, code security, and competitor risk.
This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 8 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 10 key vocabulary words such as 卸载、开源、代码 and walks through 4 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.
Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
Recently, many people have been discussing a piece of software called "OpenClaw."
It is a free artificial intelligence assistant.
However, many Chinese companies have recently started suddenly uninstalling this software.
Uninstalling means completely deleting it from the computer.
Why does nobody want to use it anymore?
This is actually a very interesting and worthy question to study.
Let's first take a look at what "OpenClaw" really is.
Over the past year, artificial intelligence technology has been extremely hot.
"OpenClaw" is one of the most well-known programs among them.
Its biggest feature is that it's free and open-source.
Open-source means that anyone can see its code.
Not only can you download it for free, but you can also modify it yourself.
Because of this, many Chinese companies used it in the beginning.
Everyone thought, since it's free, why not use it?
It can help programmers write code and help managers organize data.
It works many times faster than an ordinary person.
So, a few months ago, it was very popular in China.
But recently, the situation has changed dramatically.
Many people discovered that this software wasn't actually that easy to use.
The first reason is network and system issues.
Although the software itself is free,
it needs to connect to overseas networks to work.
We all know that using overseas networks in China is not very convenient.
Many times, the network speed is very slow, or it even disconnects.
If the network is bad, the software cannot work properly.
Sometimes, you ask it to help you write a simple piece of code.
It might need to wait ten minutes before giving you a result.
As a result, work efficiency actually becomes lower.
Everyone felt this was too troublesome, so they gave up on it.
The whole point of people using AI is to reduce working time.
If it's even slower than a person, then it has no value.
The second important reason is the issue of information security.
For many large companies, data and information are their lifeblood.
When "OpenClaw" is working, it needs a lot of data.
If you ask it to help you analyze the company's financial situation,
you have to send the company's financial data to it.
Because its servers are overseas, this is very dangerous.
Company bosses worry that this important information could be seen by others.
If the company's secrets are discovered by competitors, the consequences are very serious.
For example, your company is planning to launch a new product next month.
You ask this software to help you write a detailed plan.
Then this software knows all of your plans.
If this information is accidentally posted online,
other companies can prepare in advance and steal your customers.
To protect the company's security, managers have decided to stop using it.
They require all employees to delete this software from their computers.
This is a way to protect themselves.
Now many large companies have strict regulations.
They prohibit employees from uploading company files to overseas networks.
This is also to prevent information from being stolen by others.
The third reason is the issue of usage habits and language.
"OpenClaw" is software invented by Westerners.
So its English is very good, but its Chinese is not so great.
When Chinese people give it tasks in Chinese,
it often doesn't understand, or misinterprets them.
For example, you ask it to write an advertisement suited for the Chinese market.
What it produces, Chinese people find very strange.
It doesn't understand Chinese culture, nor does it understand Chinese people's habits.
This made many users feel very disappointed.
Since it can't understand Chinese well, people don't want to use it.
The fourth reason is that China's own AI has been developing very quickly.
Now, within China, there are many excellent AI software programs.
Many large companies, such as Baidu and Tencent, have launched their own products.
These domestic software programs are not only smart but also very knowledgeable about China.
They understand Chinese and know Chinese people's work habits.
For example, Chinese people like to communicate using WeChat.
Domestic software can directly connect with WeChat.
This makes it feel very convenient for everyone when they use it.
More importantly, their servers are all located within China.
So using these domestic software programs is very safe.
The network speed is also very fast, with no connectivity issues.
Since there's a better choice available, people will naturally switch to new software.
It's just like buying a phone.
If there's a cheaper and better phone, you'll definitely switch.
Finally, everyone discovered that "free" is actually a big headache.
Although downloading "OpenClaw" doesn't cost any money,
to get it running smoothly on a computer requires very high specifications.
It not only needs very good computer equipment,
but also, when it's working, it needs to call other paid programs.
Each time it calls these programs, you have to pay a little money.
Although the cost is small each time, over a whole day it adds up to a lot.
When you do the math, the monthly cost is actually more than buying a domestic software license.
This made many companies that wanted to save money feel very regretful.
Everyone thought open-source software could help companies reduce costs.
In reality, it brought even greater financial pressure to companies.
It's not just financial pressure, but also time pressure.
Because it's open-source, various errors frequently appear.
Companies must assign dedicated engineers to check and fix it.
This also requires a lot of time and effort to manage.
Because of all these reasons, people's attitude toward this software has changed.
From the initial excitement and welcome, it has turned to rejection.
Many tech news outlets have also reported on this phenomenon.
Reporters interviewed some programmers and company managers.
They all said that giving up this software was the right decision.
In the business world, efficiency and security are always the most important things.
If a tool cannot improve efficiency, then it has no value.
AI technology is making progress every day, with new inventions appearing daily.
Software that is popular today might be abandoned by everyone tomorrow.
This is also a normal part of the process of technological development.
"OpenClaw's" experience in China has given us many lessons.
It tells us that a useful technology must not only be excellent,
but must also adapt to the local environment and meet local people's needs.
If these specific conditions are not considered, even the best technology will fail.
Now, Chinese companies are actively developing their own intelligent assistants.
They are investing more money in their own technology.
They hope that in the future there will be AI that completely belongs to China.
This is not only for security but also for international competitiveness.
Although this process may encounter many difficulties,
everyone remains confident about future development.
The development of technology is like a marathon race.
Who will have the last laugh is still hard to say for now.
But one thing is certain: competition will make technology better.
For ordinary people, this is actually a good thing.
Because we get to use more convenient and smarter tools.
No matter what the software is called, as long as it works well, that's what matters.
In the coming years, AI will continue to change our lives.
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
To remove software from a computer or device. 卸 (unload) + 载 (carry/load).
Software whose source code is publicly available for anyone to view, modify, and distribute.
Instructions written in a programming language. A fundamental term in tech vocabulary.
A computer that provides data or services to other computers over a network.
A person or company competing against you in the same market or field.
The ratio of useful output to total input. How well resources are used to achieve goals.
The total expense required to produce or acquire something. A key business term.
Putting money or resources into something with the expectation of returns.
To change or modify oneself to fit new conditions or environments.
A technical term meaning to request the execution of a function or external service in computing.
* beyond level超纲词
虽然...但是... (suī rán... dàn shì...)
The standard concessive structure meaning "although... but..." In Chinese, both halves are typically stated, unlike English where "but" would suffice after "although."
虽然这个软件本身是免费的，但是它需要连接国外的网络才能工作。
虽然每一次的钱很少，但是一天下来就很贵了。
不但...还/而且... (bù dàn... hái/ér qiě...)
Means "not only... but also..." Used to add additional information that goes beyond the first point, often escalating in significance.
你不但可以免费下载它，还可以自己修改它。
这些国内的软件不但很聪明，而且非常了解中国。
既然...就... (jì rán... jiù...)
Means "since/given that... then..." Used when the first clause states an established fact, and the second clause draws a natural conclusion.
既然是免费的，为什么不用呢？
既然有了更好的选择，大家当然会换新的软件。
如果...就... (rú guǒ... jiù...)
The standard conditional structure meaning "if... then..." Used for hypothetical situations and their consequences.
如果网络不好，这个软件就不能正常工作。
如果不考虑这些具体的情况，再好的技术也会失败。
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