A new general artificial intelligence (AI) agent, known as Manus, has captured the attention of the AI community for its capacity to undertake complex, real-world tasks. The agent, developed by a relatively unknown team backed by Chinese investors and developers, has quickly gained traction following the release of a demonstration video.
Currently available as an invitation-only web preview, Manus can perform practical functions. According to a demonstration video featured on its website, manus.im, the AI agent is able to create a custom website through a step-by-step process. The site also lists other capabilities, including itinerary planning for trips to Japan, in-depth analysis of Tesla’s stock performance, and assistance with business-to-business supplier sourcing.
Manus also claims to outperform OpenAI’s Deep Research based on the GAIA benchmark, a third-party measure of general AI assistants. However, the team behind Manus has been very discreet about its corporate structure, the team members, and the underlying models that power the agent. Despite this limited information, the demo video has triggered substantial interest. The video, posted on X on Wednesday night, had garnered over 200,000 views by Thursday noon, with many viewers requesting invitation codes to try the agent.
The recent developments around Manus might be considered another intriguing moment alongside DeepSeek. It suggests continued development and expansion in the field of general AI within China.
