Christopher McFadden
4–5 minutes
‘World’s first’ fully autonomous AI agent unveiled in China, handles real-world tasks
Manus is able to initiate and complete tasks without explicit human input.
Updated: Mar 09, 2025 10:25 AM EST
‘World’s first’ fully autonomous AI agent unveiled in China, handles real-world tasks
Stock image of an AI assistant.
Just_Super
A group of Chinese software engineers have developed what they have called the “world’s first” fully autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agent. Called “Manus,” the AI agent can independently perform complex tasks without human guidance.
Unlike AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, or Grok, which need human input to perform things, Manus can proactively make decisions and complete tasks independently. To this end, the AI agent doesn’t necessarily need to wait for instructions to do something.
For example, if a human asks, ” Find me an apartment,” Manus can conduct research, evaluate multiple factors (crime rates, weather, market trends), and provide tailored recommendations.
Rather than using just one AI model, Manus operates like an executive managing multiple specialized sub-agents. This allows it to tackle complex, multi-step workflows seamlessly.
Moreover, the AI agent can work asynchronously, meaning it completes tasks in the background and notifies users only when results are ready, without constant human supervision.
This is a significant development; most AIs have relied heavily on humans to initiate tasks. Manus represents a shift toward fully independent AI, raising exciting possibilities and serious concerns about job displacement and responsibility.
What is also interesting is that Manus comes just over a year after the release of DeepSeek in 2023. That particular AI is widely seen, as Forbes explains, as China’s AI “Sputnik Moment.”
According to some, the emergence of Manus challenges the narrative that the U.S. is the uncontested leader in advanced AI development. It suggests China has caught up and potentially leapfrogged ahead by developing truly autonomous AI agents.
Manus is not just an intellectual achievement for the team; it could have critical 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.
Another interesting application could be software development, when agents like Manus can quickly build a professional website from scratch. The agent can also scrape necessary information from social media, deploy the website online, and independently resolve technical hosting issues.
How will the world react?
Unlike other commonly known AIs, Manus could represent a very real threat to human workers, actually being able to replace them rather than just boost their work efficiency. This raises some problematic ethical and regulatory questions about its use.
Beyond potential mass unemployment, who would be responsible if an AI autonomously makes a costly mistake? Regulators worldwide are currently unequipped to handle fully independent AI agents.
Silicon Valley’s leading tech companies have traditionally assumed they would dominate AI through incremental improvements. Manus, as a fully autonomous system, changes the playing field, raising fears that China might achieve a significant advantage in AI-powered industries.
Silicon Valley’s leading tech companies have traditionally assumed they would dominate AI through incremental improvements. As a fully autonomous system, Manus changes the playing field, raising fears that China might achieve a significant advantage in AI-powered industries.
How the rest of the world will react is yet to be seen, but we may be about to enter the era of autonomous AI agents.
https://interestingengineering.com/i…ai-agent-manus
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Irham
3–4 minutes
Perusahaan kecerdasan buatan (AI) asal Tiongkok, Manus AI, meluncurkan agen AI bernama Manus pada Kamis lalu. Peluncuran ini langsung menjadi perbincangan di media sosial, dengan banyak pihak yang menyebutnya sebagai “disruptor kedua setelah DeepSeek” dan membandingkannya dengan GPT dalam perkembangan AI terbaru.
Manus AI
Akses Manus AI Harus Pakai Undangan
Pengembang Manus AI menyatakan bahwa produknya bukan sekadar chatbot biasa, melainkan agen AI yang sepenuhnya otonom. Perusahaan tersebut menjelaskan bahwa alat ini dirancang untuk tidak hanya menghasilkan ide, tetapi juga menjalankan tugas secara mandiri.
Berdasarkan GAIA Benchmark, Manus disebut telah melampaui model OpenAI dalam berbagai tingkat kesulitan. Ini membuatnya digadang-gadang sebagai salah satu AI paling unggul di pasaran.
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Tingginya minat terhadap Manus terlihat dari permintaan akses yang melonjak drastis. Beberapa laporan menyebutkan bahwa kode undangan untuk mencoba layanan ini diperjualbelikan hingga 100.000 yuan (sekitar Rp215 juta) di platform jual beli Xianyu.
Siapa Pemilik Manus AI?
Di sisi bisnis, Manus AI mengalami perubahan kepemilikan. Data dari Tianyancha menunjukkan bahwa pendiri awalnya, Xiao Hong, keluar dari jajaran pemegang saham pada akhir 2024.
Setelah perubahan ini, beberapa investor besar, termasuk Tencent, menanam modal mereka di perusahaan tersebut. Selain itu, informasi dari sumber industri mengungkapkan bahwa Manus dan perusahaan terkaitnya telah menerima pendanaan awal dari ZhenFund pada 2022.
Beberapa analis menilai bahwa strategi ekosistem yang dibangun oleh Manus AI dapat memperkenalkan model bisnis baru dalam industri. Mereka memperkirakan bahwa agen AI umum berpotensi menjadi aplikasi AI terbesar kedua setelah pencarian berbasis AI.
Tren penggunaan agen AI juga diprediksi terus meningkat. Laporan dari Gartner pada awal 2024 mencatat bahwa 21% perusahaan telah mengintegrasikan agen AI dalam operasional mereka, dengan proyeksi angka tersebut akan melampaui 80% pada 2026.