Peter Steinberger, the developer behind the viral AI agent OpenClaw and now an employee at OpenAI, has urged fellow AI builders to adopt a more playful and exploratory mindset. Speaking on OpenAI's new "Builders Unscripted" podcast, Steinberger emphasised that becoming proficient with AI tools is a learned skill that requires patience and practice, not immediate expertise.
He revealed that the creation of OpenClaw, an AI agent that integrates with WhatsApp, began not with a grand plan but through personal experimentation. "I wish I could say that I had the unified plan in the beginning, but a lot of it was just exploration," Steinberger told podcast host Romain Huet, OpenAI's Head of Developer Experience. "I wanted things, and those things didn’t exist, and…let’s say, I prompted them into existence."
From Experimentation to Prototype
Steinberger explained he initially built a tool for WhatsApp integration but set it aside, assuming major AI labs would soon develop similar technology. By November, surprised this hadn't happened, he created the first OpenClaw prototype. A key moment came during a trip to Marrakesh with poor internet. "WhatsApp just works everywhere," he said, noting how the tool helped him find restaurants and manage tasks seamlessly, proving its utility.
Through continued use, he recognised modern AI models' advanced problem-solving abilities, which he likened to those of skilled coders. "Now they can just, like, actually come up with the solutions themselves, even though you never programmed them at all," Steinberger noted.
Learning Curve and "Vibe-Coding"
Addressing developers frustrated with early results from AI-assisted coding, Steinberger dismissed the term "vibe-coding" as misleading. "I think vibe-coding is a slur," he stated, arguing it underestimates the skill involved. He compared learning to code with AI to learning an instrument. "You’re not going to be good at guitar on the first day."
His core advice is to approach the process playfully. "My… advice always is, approach it in a playful way. Build something that you always wanted to build." He now has an intuitive sense for how long a prompt will take to execute and learns from mistakes, a skill developed over time.
Future-Proofing Careers in the AI Era
Steinberger's comments come amid widespread concern about AI displacing jobs. He argues that a proactive, creative mindset will be more valuable than ever. "If your identity is: I want to create things. I want to solve problems. If you’re high agency, if you’re smart, you will be in more demand than ever," he concluded, positioning adaptability and a builder's curiosity as key assets.