OpenClaw ➡️ OpenAI

Plus: ByteDance just spooked Hollywood

February 18, 2026

Welcome back! For nearly two decades, computer science was the golden ticket. Parents pushed their kids toward it, and enrollment soared. But…not anymore. 

Computer science enrollment across University of California campuses dropped 6% last year after a 3% dip in 2024. Students are instead gravitating to AI-specific programs. MIT's AI and decision-making major is already its second-largest. USC, Columbia, and New Mexico State are all launching AI-specific degrees. 

Students are voting with their feet, and what they're saying is: Teach me the thing that's actually changing the world right now.

OpenClaw Creator Peter Steinberger Is Joining OpenAI

Via GBHackers | OpenClaw Founder Peter Steinberger Joins OpenAI

Peter Steinberger, the Austrian developer behind the viral open-source AI agent framework OpenClaw, is joining OpenAI. 

What he built: OpenClaw, originally called Clawdbot, then Moltbot, then finally OpenClaw, amassed over 190,000 GitHub stars and became one of the platform's most popular repositories ever. The framework lets users deploy AI agents that communicate via WhatsApp, Discord, iMessage, and Slack, connected to whatever underlying model they choose. In short, Steinberger made AI agents accessible to everyday users. 

What’s next: Sam Altman said Steinberger will help build the next generation of personal agents. Steinberger will likely expand his OpenClaw vision of accessible agents and scale it across OpenAI’s product suite, working to make personal AI agents a core offering. OpenClaw, meanwhile, will live on as an open-source foundation that OpenAI will continue to support.

The bigger picture: Steinberger could have turned OpenClaw into a major company—but in his own words, that wasn't interesting to him. He already spent 13 years building a company and learned his lessons. He believes the fastest way to bring AI agents to the masses was to join the team already building at the frontier.

Apple’s Next AI Bet Might Live On Your Face

Apple is reportedly accelerating work on three new AI-powered wearables: smart glasses, an AI pendant, and camera-equipped AirPods.

What we know so far:

  • Smart glasses: No display, but packed with cameras, microphones, and speakers. One camera captures high-res photos and video; another handles computer vision for environmental context. Think: real-time awareness, navigation cues, reminders, and Siri as an all-day companion.

  • AI pendant: A small, clip-on device with cameras and mics that acts as the “eyes and ears” of your iPhone. Unlike Humane’s failed AI Pin, it would rely heavily on the iPhone for processing.

  • Camera AirPods: In development, potentially launching soon, likely aimed at adding spatial and contextual awareness to Apple’s ecosystem.

Why it matters: Apple has fallen behind in the AI arms race. While OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and even Meta are shipping increasingly capable models and AI-native products, Apple’s big bet has been…waiting.

But if Apple nails AI-powered wearables, it could leapfrog the competition the same way it did with the iPhone and AirPods. Are we about to see Apple’s AI comeback story, or another case of hardware outrunning the software?

ByteDance to Tweak Safeguards on Seedance 2.0

ByteDance says it will strengthen safeguards on Seedance 2.0, its new AI video generation model, after a full-blown backlash from Hollywood. The company says it respects intellectual property rights and is taking steps to prevent unauthorized use of copyrighted material and likenesses by users. 

Here’s what happened: 

  • Disney fired off a cease-and-desist accusing ByteDance of stocking the tool with a “pirated library” of copyrighted characters, and Paramount Skydance followed with its own letter.

  • The Motion Picture Association accused Seedance of unauthorized use of copyrighted works “on a massive scale.”

  • SAG-AFTRA condemned the unauthorized use of its members' voices and likenesses.

  • The Human Artistry Campaign called the launch "an attack on every creator around the world."

The global stage: The model is currently only available in China through ByteDance's Jimeng AI app, but it's expected to be integrated into CapCut, a video-editing platform—and that global reach is making Hollywood nervous.

Why it matters: Seedance 2.0 has been called Hollywood's "DeepSeek moment" because of its meteoric rise. Studios are fighting copyright issues on every front, from cease-and-desists to litigation to lobbying for new legislation. And every time a new model launches without meaningful guardrails, the cycle resets.

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  • Meta locks in a long-term NVIDIA deal to secure AI data center capacity.

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The Pentagon vs Anthropic. Here’s why Anthropic is suddenly in the crosshairs.

That’s a wrap! See you Friday for more.

—Matt (FutureTools.io)