Chinese software engineers have reportedly developed the world’s first “fully automated” artificial intelligence agent called Manus. Unlike AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, or xAI’s Grok, which need human input to perform things, Manus can independently make decisions and perform tasks.
According to Reuters, Manus is the creation of a Chinese company called Monica. Manus achieved SOTA (State-of-the-Art) results in the GAIA benchmark test, demonstrating performance that surpasses OpenAI’s models of the same level.
READ: Apple eager to defend Google during antitrust trial (December 26, 2024)
Instead of behaving like a singular AI model, Manus operates like an executive managing multiple specialized sub-agents, allowing it to tackle complex, multi-step workflows seamlessly. It can work asynchronously, meaning it completes tasks in the background and notifies users only when results are ready, without relying on human supervision. This is significant as most AIs rely heavily on humans to initiate tasks.
This is, of course, not the first time a Chinese innovation has made waves in the world of AI. Chinese company DeepSeek has previously waves with its AI model that exceeded leading models in efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Manus is expected to have several real-world applications, including recruitment. In this role, Manus can autonomously analyze resumes, cross-reference job market trends, and produce optimal hiring choices, complete with detailed analysis and reports.
Software development is another area where Manus can be put to use. Agents like Manus can build a website from scratch. They can scrape necessary information from social media, deploy the website online, and independently resolve technical hosting issues.
READ: China disrupts AI market with DeepSeek: A better, cheaper version of ChatGPT? (January 27, 2025)
This is a significant achievement in the AI world, and people are excited about the possibilities. However, there is also concern over job displacement due to this development. Some fear that this fully-automated AI will end up replacing human workers instead of merely boosting their efficiency. Additionally, there are concerns over who would bear responsibility if this AI makes a costly mistake, as regulators worldwide are currently unequipped to handle fully independent AI agents.
This development has stoked the fears of Silicon Valley companies, over China emerging as a significant competitor.