Manus AI: The Next-Gen AI Agent Taking Over China—And Soon, The World?

After sending shockwaves through the global tech stock market in February, China may be experiencing its second DeepSeek moment. A new AI agent called Manus is making waves in China, and it might not be long before it reaches the U.S.

Built by a new Chinese AI startup Manus AI, Manus isn’t just about answering questions—it takes action. Unlike the typical AI assistants that spit out information, Manus gets real work done.

Just two days after launch, Manus is already drawing praise on social media. ‘It’s like Deep Research + Operator + Claude Computer combined, and it’s REALLY good,’ Rowan Cheung, founder of the popular AI newsletter The Rundown AI, wrote on X.”

China’s Next DeepSeek Moment? Meet Manus, the AI Agent That Multitasks Like a Pro

Launched this week by Chinese AI startup Manus AI, Manus is a general AI agent that connects thought and action: it doesn’t just think—it delivers results. It handles tasks across both work and personal life, taking care of everything while you rest.

The launch of Manus AI comes just days after ChatGPT creator OpenAI announced plans to charge enterprises up to $20,000 per month for specialized AI ‘agents.’ While OpenAI has been quietly developing its premium offerings, Manus AI has entered the scene with what early benchmark tests suggest is superior technology—at a fraction of the cost.

GAIA, a benchmark designed to evaluate General AI Assistants on real-world problem-solving, shows Manus achieving new state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance across all three difficulty levels.

Early benchmarks show Manus outperforming other AI assistants in general problem-solving tasks. But beyond test scores, it’s proving itself on platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and Kaggle competitions.

More Than Just a Chatbot

Manus has been described as a mix of Deep Research, Operator, and Claude Computer, bringing automation and execution into one system. It works independently in the cloud, meaning users can assign tasks, step away, and return to finished work.

During a YouTube demo, co-founder Yichao “Peak” Ji put Manus through its paces with three different challenges. The results were impressive.

Screening Résumés on Autopilot

The first test had Manus screening 15 résumés. It started by unzipping a file with 10 résumés, went through each document, pulled key details, and ranked candidates based on hiring criteria.

When Peak asked for a spreadsheet instead of a standard document summary, Manus adapted. Next time, it will deliver the preferred format automatically.

Real Estate Research Without the Busywork

Next, Manus handled a real estate research task. Instead of running a simple search, it created a step-by-step plan and executed each part:

• Found information on safe neighborhoods
• Evaluated middle schools
• Wrote a Python program to calculate the budget
• Filtered listings based on price range
• Compiled a full report

This wasn’t just a search—it was an organized workflow that handled everything.

Stock Data Analysis and Website Deployment

For the last demo, Manus tackled stock market correlation analysis. It:

• Pulled financial data from trusted APIs
• Verified the information
• Wrote custom code for data visualization

Then came the curveball—turning the analysis into an interactive website. Manus built and deployed the site on its own, providing a live link for easy access.

What’s Next for Manus AI?

Manus AI is not done. The company said it plans to open-source some of its models later this year, allowing developers to experiment and build on top of the tech.

The name Manus comes from mens et manus—Latin for “mind and hand.” The idea is simple: knowledge is useful when applied.

China’s AI scene has been moving fast, and Manus AI is the latest proof. With its ability to execute complex tasks, it may be one of the most practical AI agents built so far. And if it keeps gaining traction, it won’t stay a China-only phenomenon for long.