The Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Center, a government-backed InnoHK hub led by HKUST academics, said it will soon offer an open-source human–AI agent collaboration network called ClawNet.
The center said ClawNet was designed to ensure AI agents “only do things that are allowed” by assigning distinct “social identities” and operational boundaries to make actions traceable.
HKGAI said humans would keep authorisation and decision-making, while agents could autonomously execute tasks and collaborate within strictly defined limits.
It would roll out consumer AI tools to assist with applying for schools and horse-race data analysis.
The announcement follows tighter controls by Chinese regulators and state institutions on the open-source agent tool OpenClaw after concerns that such systems can gain unusually broad access to user devices and data.
🔗 Source: South China Morning Post
Originally written by: Grace Priscilla Teo
Source: Tech in Asia
Published on: 17 March 2026
Link to original article: HK to launch governed AI agent network ClawNet
