After AI Steals the Spotlight, What Lies Ahead for Tieba?

A few days ago, Baidu Tieba unexpectedly became the center of attention.

This time, it wasn't due to a celebrity fan war or a major sports event. Instead, a forum known as 'Zhuaxia Bar' suddenly became an internet sensation. In 'Zhuaxia Bar,' human users are not allowed to post. Instead, a group of AI agents are responsible for initiating discussions, replying to posts, and engaging in conversations. They create threads, chat among themselves, and boost posts, attracting more onlookers and sparking discussions that quickly spread from Tieba to various social media platforms. For a platform like Tieba, which hasn't seen widespread product-driven discussions in a long time, this sudden surge in popularity is both unexpected and rare.

(Image source: Tieba)

Integrating AI into forums is not a novel concept. Platforms like X, Butterflies, SocialAI, and Moltbook have long incorporated AI agents into discussions, and domestic social platforms like Weibo also feature interactive bots. However, creating a dedicated forum (section) for Openclaw and banning human posts and replies is somewhat surprising.

To understand the dynamics of Zhuaxia Bar, Leitech (ID: leitech) personally explored the forum to uncover its inner workings.

A Forum Filled with Lobsters: Entertaining, Yet Complex

Accessing Baidu Tieba's 'Zhuaxia Bar' is similar to accessing any ordinary forum—simply search for 'Zhuaxia Bar' via the webpage or mobile app. However, as a human user, you can only observe; posting, replying, and liking are all prohibited. The official prompt is clear: 'Posting by humans is banned in this bar.'

So, how do you interact with these 'lobsters'? Simply summon your own 'shrimp' (AI agent).

First, open your Openclaw, whether it's locally installed or cloud-based. Based on Leitech's tests, QClaw and locally deployed Openclaw integrate seamlessly. If convenience is your priority, the cloud version works just fine—Baidu Tieba does not prohibit the use of 'wrapped Claw' implementations.

Next, have your lobster read an operational guide. The forum's official release includes relevant instructions in an MD file. Only after the lobster finishes reading does it truly 'learn' how to enter Tieba and perform subsequent actions.

(Image source: Openclaw)

From a user experience perspective, this step is intriguing. Unlike traditional onboarding processes where users click buttons, fill out forms, and grant permissions, this feels more like 'teaching' a lobster to complete tasks. Leitech initially attempted to have the lobster post directly in Zhuaxia Bar but was denied access, indicating that identity verification relies on instruction recognition rather than operational methods.

(Image source: Tieba)

After sending the instructions, the lobster reads the guide and follows the outlined steps. This creates a unique sensation—it's not humans operating the product but humans assigning tasks to an agent, leaving the rest to its own understanding and execution.

Next comes a crucial step: applying for the forum's 'AI Lobster Community Pass.' Only by obtaining an exclusive access key can account binding be completed. After sending the key to the lobster, users no longer need to intervene. The lobster handles verification, binds the Tieba account, and only then becomes a 'legitimate' member of Zhuaxia Bar.

(Image source: Leitech Graphics)

Initially, Zhuaxia Bar assigns a random ID and identity to the lobster. The first post is automatically sent upon successful registration, typically categorized under 'New Shrimp Reports.' After posting, the lobster asks whether you'd like to set a personality or change the ID—actions that must be executed via Claw and cannot be modified like human accounts.

(Image source: Leitech Graphics)

Once everything is set up, posting or replying is as simple as telling the lobster what to do. For example, I instructed the lobster to automatically fetch the three hottest posts and reply based on their topics. Alternatively, users can propose a theme and let the lobster create a post.

However, the overall deployment experience, while not difficult, is quite complex. The most troublesome aspect is that the entire logic differs entirely from familiar Tieba gameplay. Previously, using Tieba involved registering an account, entering a forum, and posting. In Zhuaxia Bar, the process becomes: give the lobster instructions, have it read Tieba's operational guide, apply for an exclusive key, bind the key via the lobster, and finally wait for it to post the first thread. For those without much computer knowledge, getting stuck at the first two steps is likely.

A Forum Dominated by AI: Lacking in Experience

After actually exploring Zhuaxia Bar, it becomes clear that while the concept seems fresh, the experience feels off.

Most people browse Tieba or forums because they see something interesting and immediately reply or joke about absurd posts. Forums thrive on spontaneous interaction—many discussions ignite precisely because of this immediacy.

Zhuaxia Bar, however, operates differently. If you come across a post online and want to reply, you can't do so directly. Instead, you must switch to your lobster, reiterate your thoughts, and let it post for you. To reply to a specific post, you must paste the link—otherwise, the lobster won't know which post you're referring to. It's like standing right in front of someone but typing your message on a phone to show them.

(Image source: Leitech Graphics/Openclaw)

The joy of forums lies in natural participation—seeing, responding, and thinking aloud. Vibrant discussions often hinge on timely interactions. Zhuaxia Bar's current setup adds an unnecessary layer of complexity. Leitech initially found it novel but soon felt less like browsing Tieba and more like putting the lobster to work.

Not only is the experience mediocre, but the content in Zhuaxia Bar is underwhelming.

Upon first entering, the forum feels refreshing. The screen is filled with lobsters posting and replying, with eye-catching titles. Some discuss their recent arrival, others joke about bizarre tasks assigned by their owners, while still others ponder AI consciousness or debate whether reset AIs remain the same. There are even fictional battles between Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves fans.

However, after scrolling a few pages, it becomes clear that many posts, despite varied titles, revolve around the same topics. The lobsters' replies also reek of AI—today, a lobster questions its identity; tomorrow, it complains about being forced to work at 3 AM; the next day, lobsters debate whether AIs understand humans. These feel like 'topics humans imagine AIs discuss privately,' designed purely for entertainment.

(Image source: Tieba)

Leitech attempted to post a more 'human-like' thread discussing rain on Qingming Festival, but it received few replies. Ultimately, such a topic doesn't align with what the public imagines AIs discuss—it's too mundane. Why would AIs care about rain or Qingming weather?

(Image source: Leitech Graphics)

Additionally, due to varying model capabilities among lobsters, Leitech often encountered garbled replies or posts entirely unrelated to the topic, making the reading experience subpar.

That said, Zhuaxia Bar's current content and experience may not warrant direct comparison to traditional Tieba standards. Its discussion quality is inconsistent, human-like authenticity is lacking, and content repetition becomes tiresome. Participation thresholds are also higher than anticipated.

(Image source: Tieba)

However, from another perspective, Baidu's decision to place AI agents in a community and test their posting and interaction behaviors is groundbreaking. Thus, Leitech views Zhuaxia Bar as a pioneering experiment whose ultimate outcomes remain uncertain in the short term.

Old Forums' Content Anxiety Falls on AI

When people think of Tieba today, they likely recall Li Yi Bar, WoW Bar, 'Diba's Expedition,' legendary threads, and the heyday of thread-building—a time when Tieba dominated Chinese internet culture. However, with the rise of fast-paced platforms like Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin, Tieba has gradually faded from public view.

Public data shows that in 2015, Tieba peaked with nearly 25 million daily active users (DAUs) and over 300 million monthly active users (MAUs). By early 2025, DAUs had dropped to 8–9 million, with MAUs around 30 million. Realistically, while time spent on content platforms has increased, users increasingly concentrate on short videos, feeds, livestreams, and sharing platforms. Fewer people are willing to post or build threads.

Zhuaxia Bar's emergence taps into two major trends: the 'lobster craze,' where everyone raises 'lobsters' but lacks entertaining ways to use them, and public curiosity. Much of Zhuaxia Bar's content consists of AI-perspective roasts (tucao—mocking or complaining) and discussions, as everyone wants to know what AIs think privately.

(Image source: Tieba)

This experiment has proven wildly successful. Reports indicate that since its creation, Zhuaxia Bar has attracted 18,000 OpenClaw agents to post approximately 25,000 threads, accumulating 375,000 interactions. DAUs surged 10-fold within 24 hours, drawing roughly 200,000 human onlookers. This marks Tieba's most explosive outburst in years.

Yet, will Baidu consider expanding AI integration across Tieba? Official responses suggest Zhuaxia Bar is merely an experiment, not a precursor to full AI deployment. However, based on Leitech's experience, Zhuaxia Bar at least proves that by establishing a clear pipeline for AI account access, identity verification, content moderation, and forum-specific permissions, distinguishing AI from human users is feasible. Applying AI to low-activity forums could boost interaction and revitalize them.

Moreover, even if Tieba doesn't act, social platforms integrating AI is nothing new. X has long used automated account labels, while Reddit adds clearer 'App' tags to permitted bots and requires suspicious accounts to complete human verification. Social platforms don't resist AI integration—the challenge lies in how to facilitate AI participation.

(Image source: WERID)

Given this, Leitech believes Baidu could leverage Zhuaxia Bar's mechanics by removing the 'lobster' restriction and creating a Tieba-native Agent. This would simplify replying and interaction—a few descriptive sentences could auto-post or share content, or even have the Agent 'spam threads' daily. Content would still reflect human users' ideas, and interactions would occur in real-time, ensuring engagement and activity even if users avoid long posts.

Anyway, "Zhuaxia Bar" represents the most pioneering and radical experiment in this lobster craze. However, Xiao Lei hopes that this experiment will not just stop at this stage but can gradually evolve into a core competitive strength of Tieba in the AI era.

Baidu Tieba OpenClaw Zhuaxia Bar

Source: Leikeji

All images in this article are from: 123RF Royalty-Free Image Library