Launched on Mar. 6, Manus has been dubbed the “second DeepSeek moment” by media outlets, referring to its potential for groundbreaking innovation similar to the earlier success of a Chinese tech company this year.
In a video posted on X, which garnered over 200,000 views shortly after its release, Manus was introduced as “an autonomous agent that bridges the gap between conception and execution, not only generating ideas but also delivering results.”
Forbes called Manus “the world’s first fully autonomous AI agent, a system that doesn’t just assist humans — it replaces them.”
Capable of thinking, planning and executing tasks independently, Manus operates seamlessly in the real world, functioning like a human intern with an unlimited attention span. Unlike other AI systems, which typically require human input or are limited to specific tasks, Manus performs end-to-end results without prompts, creating a truly self-directed experience.
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Artificial intelligence. Illustration photo from X |
The key to Manus’ power lies in its multi-agent architecture. Rather than relying on a single neural network, Manus functions like an executive overseeing a team of specialized sub-agents. When tasked with complex problems, it divides the issue into manageable components, assigns them to the appropriate sub-agents, and monitors their progress. This enables Manus to handle multi-step workflows that would typically require multiple AI tools to be manually combined.
Manus is developed by Butterfly Effect, a tech company based in Beijing and Wuhan with a team of several dozen employees, according to the South China Morning Post. The company’s founders, including influential entrepreneurs and product managers, are credited with helping the product gain rapid popularity.
The project is led by Yichao “Peak” Ji, a 33-year-old entrepreneur and co-founder of Peak Labs, who created the mobile browser Mammoth. The team also includes Xiao Hong, a 33-year-old entrepreneur known for developing popular WeChat plug-in apps. In 2022 Xiao launched Monica.ai, a widely used AI assistant available as a browser extension and mobile app.
Manus has generated significant demand, with users clamoring for access despite being available by invitation only. Manus AI’s product partner, Zhang Tao, admitted that the team underestimated public enthusiasm. Initially they planned to share only the AI agent’s achievements, expecting limited demand, and so server resources were set up to handle demonstration-level traffic, he explained.
“The current version of Manus is still in its infancy, far from what we aim to deliver in our final product.”
