PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 18, 2026
On the morning of March 10, two men hauled a 9-foot sculpture of a lobster off a pickup truck parked in New York City’s Financial District. People started speculating about its intent. It appears the crustacean emblem of Maine is emerging as a symbol in the AI sector, initiated by its use as the logo of OpenClaw, software that operates as a personal assistant capable of completing tasks like sending emails, ordering groceries, booking flights and even writing code for itself. “ClawCons” are being held around the world to bring together OpenClaw users, including one in New York City this month that featured a spread of free lobster tails. “Raising lobster” is the term used for training the AI agents, and other platforms developed as offshoots of OpenClaw, such as QClaw and MaxClaw, are perpetuating the theme.