Future of UX | Your Design, Tech and User Experience Podcast | AI Design #142 OpenClaw and the UX Shift from Interaction to Delegation
Feb 5, 2026
A look at AI agents that act instead of just advising. Exploration of OpenClaw’s ability to open apps, draft messages, and execute multi-tool tasks. Discussion of self‑hosted runtimes, local gateways, and reusable skills. Focus on UX shifts toward permissions, undo, transparency, and new safety and security responsibilities for designers.
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Chat Moves From Advice To Action
- OpenClaw shifts chat from advice to real-world actions that change files, messages, and schedules.
- Once software produces real effects, UX must treat outputs as side effects, not just responses.
Local Agent Runtime With Tool Access
- OpenClaw runs as a self-hosted agent runtime that gives an AI access to tools and a local computer.
- It executes tasks by clicking interfaces, running commands, moving files, and returning outcomes in chat.
Delegation Replaces Conversation As Interface
- Interfaces evolved from chatbots to tool-enabled assistants to outcome-oriented agents.
- Delegation becomes the primary interface, requiring new UX features like undo, permissions, and escalation.