LOS ANGELES (AP) — Meta said Tuesday it is acquiring Moltbook, a social network built exclusively for artificial intelligence agents to make posts and interact with each other.
A takeover of the AI experiment by the parent company of Facebook and Instagram comes weeks after Moltbook attracted viral attention as an unusual Reddit-like hub for AI systems trading gossip.
Meta's move reflects the tech industry's ongoing fascination with the promise of AI agents that go beyond a chatbot's capabilities in being able to act and perform tasks on a person's behalf.
Meta said in a statement that Moltbook introduced novel ideas in a “rapidly developing space” and will open “new ways for AI agents to work for people and businesses.” Meta said it was hiring Moltbook co-founders Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr. The deal's financial terms weren't disclosed.
In a similar move, OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, last month hired the creator of AI agent OpenClaw, formerly called Moltbot and the technology upon which Moltbook was built.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said at the time that Peter Steinberger would join OpenAI “to drive the next generation of personal agents” that will interact with each other “to do very useful things for people.”
OpenClaw operates on users’ own hardware and runs locally on their device, meaning it can access and manage files and data directly, and connect with messaging apps like Discord and Signal. Users who create OpenClaw agents then direct them to join Moltbook.
OpenAI also earlier this week said it was acquiring Promptfoo, an AI security platform that tests the behaviors and risks of agents.
Questions about the authenticity of content posted on Moltbook swirled in its first week of operation, when it was at its peak virality. Researchers at Wiz, a cloud security platform, published a report shortly after the platform launched detailing security vulnerabilities on the site, which have since been patched.
FILE - Moltbook, a social network built exclusively for AI agents, is shown on a computer screen Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kaitlyn Huamani, File)
TORONTO (AP) — Police in Canada searched Tuesday for two assailants who opened fire at the U.S. consulate in downtown Toronto in an early-morning attack that damaged the outside of the building but did not cause any injuries.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Superintendent Chris Leather called it a national security incident and said the national police force was working with Toronto police on finding the suspects and determining the motive.
The shooting came amid heightened tension over the Iran war, and followed gunfire attacks on two Toronto-area synagogues last weekend. Leather said the U.S. and Israeli consulates, as well as embassies in Ottawa, would see an increase in security.
“It is extremely concerning,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said. “We will use the full weight of our resources to ensure that the perpetrators feel the full weight of justice.”
Toronto Police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said two individuals emerged from a white Honda CRV SUV at around 4:30 a.m. and fired multiple shots at the building before fleeing. Police released images of the SUV, but had no further information about the suspects.
“There were people inside the building. However, this building is highly secured and highly fortified and there were no injuries,” he said.
The gunshots caused damage to the outside but did not penetrate into the building, Barredo said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford called it “an absolutely unacceptable act of violence and intimidation aimed at our American friends and neighbors," and he hinted at a possible link to the war in Iran.
Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, said his team is in close contact with Canadian authorities.
“This morning’s attack on our Consulate General in Toronto is deeply troubling. I am very grateful that no one was hurt,” he said in a social media post. “Our work continues, we will not be intimidated.”
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said there was a heavy police presence Tuesday at both the U.S. and Israeli consulates in Toronto, adding that the city's Jewish community must have the “right to practice their faith and culture and to live their day-to-day lives without fear, intimidation or violence.”
Toronto has a large Iranian community and the war in Iran has prompted demonstrations outside the U.S. consulate, both in support and in protest. The consulate is often the site of protests.
Carney said in a post on social media that the federal government’s Incident Response Group met over the weekend to review potential changes to “the threat landscape” in Canada and discuss ways to improve domestic security.
Frank Barredo, deputy chief of the Toronto Police Service, speaks outside the U.S. consulate during a news conference as Chief Superintendent Chris Leather, right, the officer in charge of criminal operations for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, looks on, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Toronto. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Consulate officials speak together as a Toronto forensic officer photographs bullet impact marks at the front U.S. consulate in Toronto on Tuesday March 10, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Chief Superintendent Chris Leather, officer in charge of criminal operations for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, speaks outside the U.S. consulate during a news conference in Toronto, Tuesday March 10, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto police officers investigate outside the U.S. consulate in Toronto on Tuesday March 10, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
A bullet mark is shown in the door at the U.S. consulate in Toronto on Tuesday March 10, 2026. (Frank Gunn /The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto police investigate the scene after the U.S. consulate was hit by gunfire in Toronto on Tuesday March 10, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Forensic Toronto police officer photographs bullet impact marks at the front U.S. consulate in Toronto on Tuesday March 10, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Police vehicles are parked by the U.S. consulate after it was hit by gunfire in Toronto on Tuesday March 10, 2026. (Frank Gunn /The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto police investigate the scene after the U.S. consulate was hit by gunfire in Toronto on Tuesday March 10, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
