There was a time when AI was a niche subject that not many people cared about.
That was until disruption arrived. When OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, it set off fierce competition among tech companies. Recognizing the immense potential of Large Language Models (LLMs), businesses scrambled to create and enhance their own AI systems, rolling out improvements at an unprecedented speed.
The landscape of generative AI is advancing rapidly.
Initially, the competition was concentrated in the West, with major players such as OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Apple leading the charge, alongside emerging contenders like Perplexity and Anthropic. However, as the AI boom accelerated, the East quickly took note.
Sensing the opportunity, technology firms across Asia stepped into the race, eager to secure their position in this dynamic and evolving field.
The biggest "iPhone moment" from the East came with the release of DeepSeek-R1, which made Silicon Valley nervous and the U.S. concerned.
Now, another AI is on the rise.
On GAIA, a benchmark for evaluating General AI Assistants on solving real-world problems, Manus has achieved new state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance across all three difficulty levels. Manus was evaluated using the same configuration as its production version for reproducibility. pic.twitter.com/HGS8htaA3e
— ManusAI (@ManusAI_HQ) March 5, 2025
The name is 'Manus AI.'
Founded by serial entrepreneur Xiao Hong, the AI was developed by a secretive team backed by Chinese investors, before quickly astonishing people with its ability to tackle complex, real-world tasks.
Unlike typical LLM-powered AI chatbots that cam generate text, images or videos, or even talk and reason, Manus goes one step further by taking real actions by itself.
From browsing the web, gathering data, and delivering step-by-step results.
Initially available as an invitation-only web preview, demoes the company posted on social media suggest that Manus can handle a diverse range of activities, like building custom websites, planning detailed trips, analyzing stock performance, and assisting teachers in designing lesson plans.
Would you like ask Manus to complete a task for you?
Reply to this tweet with a task you'd like Manus to handle. Our team will run your request with Manus and share the results with you.
Whether it's research, content creation, data analysis, or something creative - let's see…— ManusAI (@ManusAI_HQ) March 6, 2025
Sure, LLMs can do this, but they can do this separately. Powerful models have been gifted with the abilities like internet browsing, reasoning, and powerful logic to solve math and help with programming. But these AIs can only solve complex tasks after they're broken down to smaller pieces.
Manus on the other hand, can do this at one go.
Think of it as an assistant that doesn’t just give advice but gets things done.
Manus is literally a problem-solver that reshapes what AIs can do.
Manus was officially unveiled through a demonstration video led by co-founder and chief scientist, Yichao "Peak" Ji in a video.
In all, Manus is described as a general-purpose agent that represents a significant advancement in AI capabilities, moving generative AI from generative passive responses to active task execution.
This development aligns with China's broader strategy to become a global leader in artificial intelligence, as outlined in the "Artificial Intelligence Industry in China" report.
The emergence of sophisticated AI models like Manus and DeepSeek highlights China's rapid progress in the AI sector, challenging existing global leaders and prompting discussions about the future landscape of artificial intelligence.