AI Agent Manus: A Breakthrough in Artificial Intelligence
Chinese scientists have unveiled an artificial intelligence (AI) “agent” that makes its own decisions without requiring specific instructions from a human operator. The AI agent, Manus, was developed by Chinese startup Butterfly Effect. Its representatives claim it is the world’s first general AI agent — meaning it demonstrates a level of autonomy that current AI models lack.
Development and Functionality
The scientists who created Manus say it shows a potential glimpse of what artificial general intelligence (AGI) may one day be capable of. This emerging type of AI responds to text prompts, similar to chatbots such as ChatGPT or DeepSeek. However, unlike chatbots, they work on different tasks, without the need for frequent, step-by-step instructions.
Manus isn’t available to the general public yet, but a limited distribution of invite codes has given a select few access, sparking a flurry of interest online. Some users appear to have created playable video games from simple prompts, while others have used Manus to design and launch websites.
Challenges and Future Prospects
It’s still early days for Manus, however, with some users reporting crashes and other issues such as a tendency to get stuck in an infinite feedback loop. The company is also aware of relatively high failure rates in Manus versus ChatGPT. Chief scientist Peak Ji acknowledged these as part of the teething issues in launching a new tool on the social media platform.
Reporter Caiwei Chen, who had access to Manus for MIT Technology Review, wrote that the experience was “like collaborating with a highly intelligent and efficient intern.” However, Chen also noted that Manus sometimes lacked understanding of what it was supposed to do, made incorrect assumptions, and cut corners. “Ultimately, it’s promising but not perfect,” Chen wrote.
Comparison and Performance
Manus AI is the second Chinese AI tool to send shock waves through the tech industry this year. In January, DeepSeek changed the landscape of AI by achieving similar or better chatbot results than its American competitors at a fraction of the cost. Manus, on the other hand, represents the first of an entirely new generation of AI.
Chatbots usually run on a single large language model (LLM), while Manus uses multiple LLMs and other independently operating software to work autonomously on a variety of tasks. In a head-to-head between Manus and ChatGPT, the agent will often provide more detailed responses than the chatbot. However, Manus also takes longer to provide those responses as it does deeper research.
Ethical Considerations
The arrival of a general AI agent brings a new wave of ethical questions and considerations surrounding the use of AI. Agents behave more like humans, but unlike humans, they can work fast and continuously — provided they don’t crash — and never get tired.
