OpenClaw: The Personal AI Assistant That Siri Should Have Been
OpenClaw is an open-source AI assistant that runs on your own machine and can be controlled via WhatsApp or Telegram. What this means for business owners and consultants.
For years, the tech industry has been promising us the perfect personal assistant. Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant — all disappointing the moment requirements go beyond “set a timer.” Now there’s an open-source project that actually delivers on that promise: OpenClaw.
What Is OpenClaw?
OpenClaw is an AI assistant that runs on your own computer (or server) — not in a tech giant’s cloud. You communicate with it via WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, or iMessage — exactly where you’re already writing all day.
The difference from ChatGPT or Copilot: OpenClaw can actually do things. Not just generate text, but:
- Read and reply to emails (Gmail, Outlook)
- Manage your calendar (create, reschedule, remind)
- Check in for flights
- Process files on your machine
- Build and deploy websites
- Teach itself new capabilities (via so-called “Skills”)
The project was created by Peter Steinberger, a well-known iOS developer from Vienna. It’s open source, has a rapidly growing community, and is under active development.
Why This Matters for Business Owners
1. It Runs on Your Infrastructure
No data flows to OpenAI, Google, or Microsoft — unless you configure it that way. OpenClaw runs on your Mac Mini, a Raspberry Pi, or a server at Hetzner. This is a massive advantage for GDPR compliance, because processing happens locally.
You can even use local LLMs (e.g., via Ollama), meaning zero data leaves your machine.
2. It Doesn’t Replace One Tool — It Connects All of Them
The typical business owner juggles email, calendar, CRM, accounting, project management, and chat. OpenClaw sits as a layer above and connects these systems. Instead of jumping between five apps, you send a WhatsApp message:
“Move my meeting with Müller to Thursday 2 PM and send him a short info email.”
And it happens.
3. It Learns — From You
OpenClaw has persistent memory. It remembers contexts, preferences, recurring workflows. And: it can teach itself new skills. If you describe a task it can’t do yet, it builds the matching workflow — and uses it automatically next time.
This is not science fiction. It’s happening now, with thousands of users worldwide.
Where I See Potential for SMEs
Morning Briefing
A message each morning with: calendar overview, open emails requiring a response, deadline reminders. Without opening a single app.
Travel Management
Check in for flights, extract hotel confirmations, prepare expense reports — all triggered by a chat message.
Document Processing
Receive invoices, extract relevant data, route to the correct folder. Working alongside existing tools like your ERP system.
Proactive Reminders
OpenClaw has so-called “Heartbeats” — it reaches out on its own when something needs your attention. Not because a timer expired, but because it understands the context.
The Honest Assessment
OpenClaw is not an install-and-go product. It currently targets technically proficient users who are comfortable with the command line. Setup takes 30–60 minutes, and it needs a dedicated machine or server running continuously.
What it is not:
- Not a polished SaaS product with a support hotline
- Not a replacement for structured business processes
- Not a tool that performs miracles without configuration
What it is:
- The first genuinely useful personal AI assistant
- Open source, so no vendor lock-in risk
- Self-hosted, so GDPR-friendly
- Extensible without programming skills (skills are created via chat)
My Take
OpenClaw is what happens when someone takes the vision of a personal AI assistant seriously — and doesn’t leave execution to a corporation, but to the community. It’s still early, but the direction is right.
For business owners willing to invest some time in setup (or who have someone to do it for them), OpenClaw is a productivity lever that simply didn’t exist a year ago.
I’ll be testing OpenClaw more intensively in the coming weeks and will report on which use cases actually work in day-to-day consulting and for SME executives.
Want to learn more about AI automation for mid-market companies? In my workshops, I demonstrate practical use cases — no hype, measurable results.
→ Workshop: AI & Business Processes
Source: openclaw.ai