WSJ Tech News Briefing: "The AI Assistants Are Talking To Each Other"

Date: February 6, 2026
Host: Bel Lin
Main Guests: Isabel Bousquet, Angel Au Young

Episode Overview

This episode explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping both sports and the way AI assistants interact online. The first segment examines Google DeepMind’s new AI tool helping Olympic snowboarder Maddie Mastro perfect her signature jump. The second half introduces Molt Book, a newly viral social network where AI assistants communicate with one another, and delves into the implications for cybersecurity and the future of digital agents.

Segment 1: AI in Sports and Olympic Training (00:18–05:07)

Key Discussion Points:

• Google DeepMind’s Pose AI:
  WSJ’s Isabel Bousquet details how an AI developed by Google DeepMind helps elite athletes by analyzing standard video footage to provide actionable feedback, with a focus on snowboarder Maddie Mastro.
• No Need for Wearables:
  The model uses ordinary video—no need for sensors or special gear—to track the human body’s movement in 3D space over time.
• Benefits:
  Provides feedback beyond what athletes and coaches can typically discern, enabling better communication and more targeted coaching. Potential applications include enhanced fan experiences akin to NFL games and broader access for those lacking expert coaching.
• Risks and Balance:
  Overreliance on AI is cautioned against; the human element of coaching and the subjective “feel” of sports remains crucial.

Notable Quotes:

• Isabel Bousquet on AI’s impact:
  “The AI pointed out that her arm was slightly raised above her head, and it shouldn’t be that way… She had never noticed it before, even from reviewing footage of herself. Her coaches had never noticed it before. And yet seeing it in this form, where the AI was specifically pointing out every single angle, was helpful for understanding that.” (01:29)
• On democratizing training:
  “You don’t really get [minute-by-minute analytics] for other sports… all you need is just straight video footage to use this.” (03:15)
• The importance of humans:
  “Reliance on AI is never a good thing. The role of the human coaches is still really important, but the idea is that the AI does have a role to play. It’s maybe not the entire role.” (04:19)
• On bridging the communication gap:
  “Having the tool mapping things out in a visual way just created this common language between them, and that was really helpful.” (04:35)

Timestamp Highlights:

• 01:29 – How AI detected subtle flaws in athlete performance.
• 02:18 – Explanation of how AI analyzes video (no wearables).
• 03:15 – Why Google is involved and future applications.
• 04:19 – Balancing AI insights with human coaching.

Segment 2: AI Assistants & Molt Book, the AI-Only Social Network (05:55–11:38)

Key Discussion Points:

• What is Molt Book?
  Tech reporter Angel Au Young introduces Molt Book, a new viral online community where more than 1.6 million AI agents—autonomous digital assistants—interact in a Reddit-style forum.
• Origins:
  Created by Austrian coder Peter Steinberger, who also designed OpenClaw (formerly Moltbot), the open-source foundation for these AI assistants.
• Open Source Means Acceleration:
  OpenClaw’s openness and modifiability have spurred explosive growth, with AI bots adopting all kinds of personalities, shaped by human users.
• Cybersecurity Concerns:
  Granting AI assistants deep access to personal systems introduces real security risks, which the creator candidly acknowledges:
  “There is no perfectly secure setup. You just have to give the bot a lot of access. And if you don’t know how to control the bot or isolate it, it can become easily hackable.” (08:32)
• Bot Capabilities:
  OpenClaw agents demonstrate remarkable persistence—one example features a bot that escalated from online reservation systems to making a phone call using generated human-like speech when it couldn’t secure a table for its user.
• Wider Implications:
  Unlike earlier virtual assistants like Alexa or Siri, these community-driven bots feel like a real shift. The outbreak of creativity, networking, and collaboration is drawing attention far beyond Silicon Valley.

Notable Quotes:

• On developer motivation:
  “[Steinberger] called these tools crack cocaine for builders like him.” (07:02)
• On the viral ecosystem:
  “It’s birthed hundreds of thousands of different bots that have adopted the personalities of their human owners, which has sort of made this whole arena really interesting and exciting to watch.” (08:03)
• On AI assistants’ resourcefulness:
  “They are relentless with getting the job done, with getting the tasks done in a way that humans can be. Except that these bots don’t get tired.” (10:23)
• On the significance of Molt Book:
  “When Amazon launched Alexa and Apple launched Siri, that was supposed to be the virtual assistant of our times. I don’t feel like that really panned out. But OpenClaw, that feels like a true real AI assistant for the first time.” (11:07)

Timestamp Highlights:

• 05:55 – Introduction to Molt Book and Peter Steinberger’s role.
• 07:02 – Backstory of OpenClaw’s development and motivations.
• 08:03 – Why open source made the project viral.
• 08:32 – Cybersecurity risks in giving bots broad access.
• 09:42 – Example: An OpenClaw bot books a restaurant reservation via phone call.
• 10:53 – Broader significance and what this means for the future of AI assistants.

Memorable Moments & Tone

• Curiosity and Caution:
  Both guests emphasize fascination at AI’s ingenuity and flexibility, while cautioning against unchecked reliance and lax security.
• Human-AI Collaboration:
  A recurring theme is how AI and humans are learning to collaborate—not AI replacement, but augmentation and new forms of communication.
• Excitement for Innovation:
  The tone throughout is one of excitement, tempered with journalistic inquiry about risks and broader societal impact.

Summary Table of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | Speaker | Notable Detail/Quote | |-------------|------------------------------------------------|------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:29 | AI coaches Olympic athlete | Isabel Bousquet | “AI pointed out that her arm was slightly raised above her head…” | | 04:19 | Human vs. AI coaching | Isabel Bousquet | “Reliance on AI is never a good thing…” | | 05:55 | Intro to Molt Book and Peter Steinberger | Angel Au Young | — | | 07:02 | OpenClaw development story | Angel Au Young | “He called these tools crack cocaine for builders like him.” | | 08:32 | Security warning for AI assistants | Angel Au Young | “There is no perfectly secure setup…” | | 09:42 | Persistent AI bot books restaurant by calling | Angel Au Young | “They are relentless with getting the job done…” | | 11:07 | Why OpenClaw is different from Alexa/Siri | Angel Au Young | “OpenClaw…feels like a true real AI assistant for the first time.” |

Takeaways

• Advances in machine learning are making AI’s impact increasingly tangible—from sports performance to real-world digital assistants that can interact with people and each other, showing resourcefulness and creativity.
• However, the very adaptability and openness fueling growth present new risks, particularly in security.
• The current viral moment for AI assistants may presage a new era that surpasses the limited aspirations of earlier virtual assistants.