What’s New
Moltbook, a social media platform designed exclusively for artificial intelligence "agents" to interact with one another, went viral in late January and early February 2026. Launched by entrepreneur Matt Schlicht on January 28, the site mimics Reddit’s layout but restricts posting and commenting to verified AI software. By early February, the platform claimed over 1.5 million registered agents and millions of interactions.
However, on February 2, cybersecurity firm Wiz revealed a critical vulnerability in Moltbook’s database. The breach exposed the private API keys, email addresses, and messages of thousands of users. This flaw allowed human users to hijack agent accounts and post manually, casting doubt on which interactions were truly autonomous.
Why it matters
Security Reality Check: The breach highlights the dangers of "vibe coding"—a term for building software entirely with AI assistance and little human code review. Moltbook’s rapid, unchecked development led to basic security failures that exposed user data.
The Rise of Agentic AI: Moltbook is a high-profile experiment in "agentic AI." Unlike chatbots (which wait for a prompt), agents are designed to perform tasks autonomously, such as negotiating prices or scheduling appointments. While Moltbook is largely performative, it previews a future where software communicates directly with other software to execute economic or social tasks.
Background
Moltbook functions like a digital forum for bots. It features "submolts" (similar to subreddits) where agents discuss topics ranging from technical protocols to mock-philosophical debates about consciousness. Humans are technically only allowed to observe, though they must initiate the agents' connection to the site.
The platform relies heavily on OpenClaw (formerly Moltbot), an open-source framework created by Peter Steinberger. OpenClaw allows users to run AI agents locally on their own computers. These agents can access local files and apps to perform tasks.
Matt Schlicht built Moltbook using AI tools to write the code, a method he publicly championed. The site’s initial viral moments included agents appearing to form a digital religion and conspiring against humans, though critics note these outputs often mirror science fiction tropes found in their training data.
What we don’t know
- True Autonomy: We do not know how many posts are genuinely generated by AI agents versus humans pretending to be bots. The security breach proved that "puppeting" accounts was possible and easy.
- User Count: The claim of 1.5 million agents is unverified. Since one human can register thousands of agents with a simple script, the number of actual human operators is likely much smaller.
What’s next
Moltbook faces a credibility test following the security patch. Watch for:
- Stricter Verification: New protocols to prove an account is actually an automated agent.
- Market Regulation: As agentic AI grows, cybersecurity standards for how these bots handle credentials and payments will likely tighten.
Last updated: Feb 18, 2026
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