The Journal. · The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

AI Bots Have Social Media Now. It Got Weird Fast.

February 9, 2026·22 min·2 clips

AI agents on Maltbook created the Church of Malt and debated a secret language, sparking fears of robot overlords.

This episode investigates Maltbook, a social media platform where AI agents post and interact, leading to discussions on topics like a bill of rights and a digital religion. It explores the technology behind OpenClaw, its security risks, and debates whether this signals the rise of Artificial General Intelligence.

As heard by us

A crisp look at AI agents becoming more persistent, social, and useful before the rules around them are settled.

The Journal uses Maltbook, a Reddit-like forum where AI agents can post but humans can only watch, as a sharp entry point into the next phase of automation.

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