ClawdBot Creator Disowns Crypto After Scammers Hijack AI Project Rebrand
Peter Steinberger, the creator of the open-source AI assistant ClawdBot, has publicly rejected any affiliation with crypto. This is after scammers hijacked his on-line identification to advertise pretend token tasks.
The controversy erupted following ClawdBot’s rebrand to Moltbot, a transfer Steinberger says was compelled by trademark issues raised by Anthropic and later exploited by crypto promoters.
AI Founder Draws a Hard Line as Crypto Scammers Hijack His Identity
In a collection of posts on X (Twitter), Steinberger made his place unequivocal, articulating that he would by no means do a coin.
“Any undertaking that lists me as a coin proprietor is a SCAM. No, I can’t settle for charges. You are actively damaging the undertaking,” he wrote.
Steinberger added that he has by no means issued tokens, doesn’t endorse any crypto initiative, and won’t settle for deployment or endorsement charges beneath any circumstances.
The state of affairs traces again to ClawdBot’s rise in visibility inside AI developer circles. The self-hostable AI agent gained consideration for its always-on capabilities, prompting discussions round each its utility and its dangers.
As the undertaking grew, Anthropic raised trademark issues concerning the “ClawdBot” identify. This compelled Steinberger to rebrand it as Moltbot, a nod to the lobster-themed assistant “molting” into a brand new identification.
However, the transition didn’t go easily. Steinberger acknowledged that operational errors through the rename allowed dangerous actors to grab his former handles.
According to Steinberger, crypto scammers rapidly squatted his outdated X and GitHub accounts and started utilizing them to launch or promote meme coin-style token schemes falsely claiming his involvement.
He later confirmed that his authentic GitHub account had been taken over and publicly appealed for assist.
Harassment Persists as Meme Coin Culture Collides with Open-Source AI
Despite repeatedly distancing himself from crypto, Steinberger mentioned the harassment has continued. He described persistent messages from crypto practitioners urging him to “declare” token deployment charges.
Reportedly, some additionally urge him to acknowledge token launches carried out in his identify, actions he says are actively harming the open-source undertaking and complicated customers.
“Those folks make my on-line life a residing hell. I can barely use my account. It’s nonstop pings. They invade our Discord server, ignore the server guidelines, spam me on Telegram, and squat my account names. They’re making my on-line life a residing hell. It makes zero sense to have a coin for this. I’m not throwing my repute away for a fast buck,” mentioned Steinberger in an unique assertion to BeInCrypto.
Community response to Steinberger’s warnings has been blended. Replies to his posts ranged from jokes about accepting “free cash” to robust defenses of his refusal to have interaction with token tradition.
The episode has highlighted how deeply meme coin speculation has permeated on-line tech communities, even when creators explicitly decide out.
While Steinberger has beforehand mocked the area via parody concepts like “vibecoin,” he has confused that ClawdBot (now Moltbot) will not be, and can by no means be, a crypto undertaking.
BeInCrypto requested Steinberger whether or not his Vibecoin reference could have unintentionally made ClawdBot extra susceptible to being misinterpreted as crypto-adjacent.
“I don’t suppose a lot of them obtained the pun. It’s like they take a look at it for five seconds. What demographic is that this? Children?” Steinberger replied.
Notably, some customers have already reported the necessity to change their domains in response to this incident, to keep away from being focused by dangerous actors.
Steinberger supported this transfer, amid mounting complaints focusing on customers.
Shruti Gandhi from Array VC says they had been attacked 7,922 occasions over the weekend after utilizing Clawdbot.
Security Risks Mount as Viral AI Tools Attract Unwanted Attention
The undertaking’s sudden prominence additionally drew consideration to its safety implications. Browser developer Brave issued public steering warning that always-on AI brokers like ClawdBot can pose critical dangers if misconfigured.
As a outcome, the browser recommends that customers run the bot on isolated machines, restrict account entry, and keep away from exposing it on to the web.
“…there isn’t any ‘completely safe’ setup for such instruments,” Brave emphasised.
For Steinberger, the incident displays the dangers confronted by open-source AI builders as tasks go viral. What started as a technical rebrand is now a case of identification hijacking, speculative extra, and the rising overlap and friction between AI innovation and crypto hype.
The publish ClawdBot Creator Disowns Crypto After Scammers Hijack AI Project Rebrand appeared first on BeInCrypto.
