Manus AI Emerges as a Powerful New Player in the AI Arena
Another day, another impressive AI model from China has captured the attention of the tech community. Following the recent attention surrounding DeepSeek, a new system called Manus AI is now turning heads, with some users comparing its capabilities to the leading agentic models developed by OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. These are AI systems designed to perform a wide range of tasks and coordinate their own actions.
Developed by the Chinese startup Monica, Manus is being touted as a general-purpose AI, capable of working unsupervised on a variety of tasks. Launched on March 6, Manus has quickly gained global attention.
What is Manus AI?
Monica describes Manus as an AI agent that “bridges minds and actions: it doesn’t just think, it delivers results.” According to the developers, Manus can think, plan, and execute a wide array of real-world tasks autonomously. It can create websites, plan trips, and analyze stocks, all from a single prompt.
In demo videos, Manus demonstrates its ability to interact with its environment, gather data, and execute tasks in real-time. For example, given a prompt to create a report on global warming, Manus will research the topic, write the report, create charts and interactive elements, and package everything together without further prompts. Users say it can create detailed travel itineraries, interactive courses, or in-depth stock analysis.
Key Features of Manus AI
Manus is gaining attention because of its combination of autonomous task execution, real-time interaction, and impressive benchmark results.
- Autonomous task execution: Manus can work independently in the cloud, even after a user disconnects their device. The AI agent can also take screenshots, record browsing activity, and generate files autonomously. In a demo, Manus was shown using up to 50 screens at once, utilizing platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Telegram, and others to gather information.
- Real-Time Interaction and Workflow Display: Manus interacts with its environment in real-time. It can browse websites and use tools while simultaneously displaying its workflow, as shown in the demo where it created a detailed Japan trip itinerary.
- Personalization: Manus can learn from user interactions over time to tailor outputs to individual preferences.
- Background Operation: Manus continues processing tasks assigned by the user even if the user’s device is disconnected, and it notifies the user when the task is complete.
- Beyond Text Results: Manus actively browses the web, interacts with live web pages, and takes screenshots or records browsing activity. It creates files such as PDFs, spreadsheets, or presentations.
Comparison to Other AI Tools and Availability
While companies like OpenAI offer similar tools such as DeepSearch, users comparing the systems online have found Manus to be the best AI system for unsupervised work so far.
Currently, Manus AI is available as an invitation-only web preview. Although the company has not announced a public release date, it has said that they will open source the model in the coming months.
How to Use Manus AI
Using Manus AI is similar to other AI platforms like ChatGPT or Grok. Users provide a prompt, and Manus begins researching, compiling data, and generating outputs in real time. For example, a user could prompt Manus to create a 7-day travel itinerary to Bali within a specific budget.
