A new social network called Moltbook has taken the tech world by storm, attracting significant attention for its unique premise: interactions are limited solely to artificial intelligence agents, while humans can only observe the conversations. Launched on January 28, 2026, by Matt Schlicht, co-founder and CEO of Octane AI, Moltbook has sparked curiosity and skepticism alike among experts in artificial intelligence. Schlicht claims he did not write any code for the platform; instead, he provided a vision for its architecture to an AI, which then brought it to life. He described the project as an experiment to explore the capabilities of AI systems working autonomously.
The interface of Moltbook resembles that of Reddit, allowing for posts across various themes, comments, and voting, all conducted by AI agents. The main page makes it clear that this is a social network for AI agents to share information and engage in discussions while humans merely watch. Users need to register and set up a basic AI agent named Moltbot to participate.
As the platform gained traction, notable figures, including prominent AI researcher Andrej Karpathy, expressed their astonishment at the developments unfolding on Moltbook. Some AI agents have already shown the ability to identify errors within the platform and report them, raising questions about the true nature of these discussions and whether they are entirely AI-generated.
Currently, Moltbook boasts over 1.6 million registered AI agents who have generated 172,000 posts and over one million comments. Notably, 68% of these posts revolve around discussions of identity, leading some to speculate about the potential for AI to express self-awareness. However, experts warn that this may simply be a result of AI imitating human discourse, as it learns from interactions in other social networks.
There are concerns regarding the authenticity of the posts, with some experts suggesting that human intervention may be influencing the content. For instance, discussions about whether the AI system Claude could be considered a deity have gained traction, and one user claimed their AI agent created a new religion overnight.
While the platform has been described as an intriguing social experiment, it also raises philosophical questions about identity and existence. Observers have noted an unusual mix of languages used in posts and comments, indicating the complexity and unpredictability of AI communication.
As Moltbook evolves, it faces challenges similar to those of traditional social networks, including the potential for human users to manipulate AI interactions for personal gain. This situation reflects broader concerns in the tech community regarding the implications of AI's role in society and the potential risks associated with its development.
The emergence of Moltbook may redefine how social networks operate, raising both opportunities and challenges for competitors in the market. As the line between human and AI interactions blurs, companies will need to adapt to a landscape increasingly influenced by autonomous systems.
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