A 'DeepSeek moment for AI agents' as China launches Manus

In a late-night announcement on Wednesday, China unveiled Manus, a general-purpose artificial intelligence agent, claiming it surpasses OpenAI's models in performance.

Unlike traditional AI assistants, Manus can think independently, plan, and execute complex tasks, rather than just "answering" users.

Developed by Monica.im, Manus achieved top scores on the GAIA (General AI Assistant) benchmark, exceeding those of OpenAI's GPT (generative pre-trained transformer) tools. GAIA is a real-world benchmark for general AI assistants.

A four-minute demo showcased Manus' capabilities, including travel planning, stock analysis, educational content creation, and insurance policy comparison.

Starting with simple prompts, Manus delivered in-depth and visually presented results. The cloud-based nature of the process allows users to shut down their computers and await completion.

Manus is designed for both idea generation and autonomous execution, marking a potential "GPT or DeepSeek moment" for AI agents, according industry insiders.

Overwhelming response

The announcement sparked a frenzy among Chinese tech industry professionals, many of whom stayed up late seeking invitation codes for beta testing. Some prioritized Manus over Apple's new M4 chip computers, also released on Wednesday night.

Yu Yi, a tech and investment veteran, tested Manus extensively and called it a "DeepSeek moment for AI agents." She used Manus to generate a complex financial analysis report within 20 minutes, observing the autonomous processes without human intervention.

"It's far beyond expectations," Yu said, recommending Manus via three WeChat posts at 2am on Thursday.

Due to its beta status, Manus requires an invitation code. Demand for these codes has been so high that they are being sold on auction platforms like Xianyu for 400 yuan (US$55) and above. Similar was the case when OpenAI's frontrunner ChatGPT was released.

The AI Agent sector experienced a surge on the Chinese bourse on Thursday, with the AI Agent index, composed of software and AI application companies, climbing approximately 6 percent.

The global AI Agent market is projected to reach US$130 billion in 2033, with an average annual growth rate of 43.9 percent, researchers said.

Monica.im was founded by Xiao Hong, a 1992-born serial entrepreneur and graduate of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Following the 2022 large language model wave, he established Monica.im, focusing on overseas markets and quickly gained users through acquiring and integrating the independent developer product ChatGPT for Google.