Baidu strikes! OpenClaw will directly reach 700 million users' search apps, AI agent battle begins

Baidu spokesperson revealed that starting later this Friday, users can simply choose to join and interact directly with OpenClaw AI agents through Baidu’s main search app.

Unlike typical chatbots, OpenClaw focuses on “AI Agents,” which do more than just chat—they can help users complete actual tasks, including:

Scheduling and calendar management

Organizing and categorizing files

Writing code

Automating certain online operations

These types of AI agents have recently become very popular because they can simulate human operation processes and perform complex tasks on behalf of users, being seen as the next stage of AI development.

From Chat Tools to Mainstream Platforms

OpenClaw was originally an open-source AI agent tool developed by an Austrian team, mainly accessible via messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram.

However, as enterprise-level and cloud deployment needs increased, Chinese tech companies have taken the lead. Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu have all allowed businesses or developers to run OpenClaw on their own cloud systems.

This time, Baidu integrating OpenClaw directly into its search app means AI agents are no longer limited to developers or professional users—they are now directly accessible to hundreds of millions of ordinary consumers, marking a move toward large-scale commercial application.

700 Million Monthly Active Users as a Major Advantage

According to Baidu data, its search app has 700 million monthly active users. This massive user base makes the integration of OpenClaw a highly strategic move.

Additionally, Baidu plans to extend OpenClaw’s capabilities to:

Its own e-commerce business

Other digital service platforms

This indicates that AI is not just assisting with search but will permeate the entire ecosystem, enhancing user engagement and commercial conversion efficiency.

AI Business War Before Lunar New Year

The timing of this announcement is quite sensitive—just before the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday. During the Spring Festival, traffic peaks in e-commerce, travel, and digital entertainment, and tech companies naturally don’t want to miss this traffic dividend.

Recently, Alibaba has also made major upgrades to its AI layout. Its AI chatbot Qwen has been integrated with Taobao and the travel platform Fliggy.

According to Alibaba, within six days up to February 11, the Qwen platform processed over 120 million transactions through chat.

This means AI chatbots have evolved from “product recommendations” to “direct transactions.”

How Qwen Changes E-commerce Processes

Under the new integration, users can:

Compare personalized product recommendations within the Qwen chat interface

Complete payments directly

Checkout via Alipay

In the past, AI could only recommend products based on prompts, requiring users to switch to different platforms to complete purchases. Now, the entire shopping experience is compressed into a single chat interface, greatly lowering the conversion barrier.

This “conversation as transaction” model is precisely the core direction of AI commercialization.

Concerns Behind the Popularity of AI Agents

Despite the rising popularity of AI agents like OpenClaw, security issues have also come to the forefront.

Cybersecurity firms like CrowdStrike have warned companies that when granting access to OpenClaw or similar AI systems, risks must be carefully evaluated.

Because AI agents can:

Manage emails

Access enterprise systems

Operate online services

If permissions or security mechanisms are not properly configured, they could become potential attack entry points.

This means that before AI agents become fully widespread, balancing “security and convenience” will be a key challenge for enterprises.

Is AI Agents Entering the Era of Universal Adoption?

From Baidu’s integration with 700 million users’ search app to Alibaba’s 120 million AI order records, it shows that Chinese tech giants are moving AI from experimental stages to actual revenue generation.

The large-scale deployment of OpenClaw also symbolizes that AI agents are no longer just developer tools—they are about to become part of daily digital life.

The Lunar New Year is just the beginning. As more platforms embed AI into core services, 2026 is likely to become the “Year of Full Commercialization of AI Agents.”

This article “Baidu Takes Action! OpenClaw Connects to 700 Million Users’ Search App, AI Agent Battle Begins” first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.