Open-source AI agents are changing the way software development is done, with both developers and non-technical individuals now able to build and deploy AI models, using software in new ways.
This shift is happening fast, with the personal computer transforming from a passive display to an active AI participant, according to Sam Grocott, senior vice president of product marketing at Dell Technologies Inc.
Grocott said, “For the last few years, PCs were just a window into generative AI tools, LLMs; it was a piece of glass. Now it’s like, as of three months ago, all of a sudden it’s an A-player.”
The ability to move models, work locally, and have more secure, high-performant systems is driving the cost economics, Grocott added.
Dave Morin, board member at the OpenClaw Foundation, and Grocott spoke about open-source AI agents, the growth of the OpenClaw community, and Dell’s deskside AI strategy at Dell Technologies World 2026.
In less than a year, OpenClaw has become one of the fastest-growing open-source communities in tech history, with a framework that gives anyone the tools to build and deploy AI agents for various workflows.
Morin noted that 80% of the people attending ClawCon gatherings are new builders, applying AI to use cases that were previously unimaginable.
However, many enterprises are hesitant to get started, and Morin suggested that a practical framework rooted in caution might be the best approach, treating AI agents like new hires with read-only data connections in a sandboxed environment.
Morin explained, “Put your agent in a sandbox of some kind and then give it read-only access and start feeding it with that access level and see what it can uncover.”
This approach can make workflows, particularly around orchestration of project management, easier and take the burden off humans, Morin added, which can be a key factor in the AI boost for companies.
Dell is translating the community-driven momentum into a sustained hardware pull, with the Dell Pro Max with GB10 and GB300 deskside systems drawing standing-room-only crowds to hands-on training sessions on deployment, according to Grocott.
The demand for these tools is no longer coming from just one corner of the market, and Grocott said, “Using these tools, you’re going to completely re-architect how you do work going forward.”
Grocott added that Dell’s entire portfolio is in play at this point, spanning from the data center rack to the desk, and they are working to provide the necessary hardware and support to facilitate this shift in the way companies approach news consumption and software development.
According to the report, the OpenClaw community is growing rapidly, with thousands of attendees at ClawCon gatherings in Brazil, Tokyo, and the University of Michigan.
The growth of the OpenClaw community and the adoption of open-source AI agents are driving changes in the way companies approach software development and infrastructure deployment, and it will be important to watch how it develops in the coming months and years.
