What Can Manus Do?
Broadly speaking, an AI agent is a program capable of executing tasks on behalf of a user or system. This involves decision-making, problem-solving, and interacting with different external environments. Some examples include ecommerce agents that track and provide shipping updates on items that you’ve purchased, and trading agents that buy or sell stocks based on algorithms.
Manus is a fully autonomous program, meaning that it can act totally independently. Ji has called it “the next paradigm of human-machine collaboration and potentially a glimpse into AGI.” This last part, in particular, is giving AI enthusiasts a lot of cause for excitement.
AGI, or artificial general intelligence, is the concept of software that can understand or learn anything that a human being can. It’s an ongoing field of theoretical research that has so far failed to yield any substantial results. Manus might be the closest that anyone has got.
On the official Manus website, there are several case studies allegedly showcasing what the program is capable of. Among them, you can view a detailed seven-day travel itinerary for Japan for a hypothetical Seattle couple. The itinerary includes “Proposal Opportunity” locations that are recommended by Manus. Other highlights include an Apple-inspired business card design, and a three-second bird chirping and steam sound effect. Truly, the ridiculous and the sublime.