China’s Manus AI: Autonomous Agent Surpassing GPT-4 in Automation

GigaNectar Team

Representative Image. a logo with the word "manus" in a sleek. Photo Source - X

China has introduced Manus, a groundbreaking fully autonomous AI agent developed by Monica.im. Unlike conventional AI assistants that simply provide answers, Manus can independently execute complex tasks from planning to completion.

A Digital Agent That Actually Does the Work

Manus, named after the Latin word for “hand,” represents a significant leap forward in AI technology. It can autonomously complete various tasks by breaking them down into manageable steps, accessing needed tools, and delivering complete results.

In a demonstration video, Manus showcased its capabilities through three practical examples:

  1. Resume screening: Manus automatically unzipped resume files, reviewed each document, extracted relevant information, and ranked candidates for a reinforcement learning engineer position based on their expertise. It even formatted the results in Excel when requested.
  2. Real estate selection: When asked to find properties in New York with specific requirements (safe neighborhood, good schools, affordable price), Manus independently researched communities, calculated budget constraints using Python, and compiled a detailed report with recommendations.
  3. Stock analysis: Manus analyzed correlations between NVIDIA, Marvell Technology, and TSMC stocks over three years by accessing financial data, verifying information accuracy across sources, and creating visualizations with detailed reports.

Technical Capabilities and Architecture

Manus employs a “Multiple Agents” architecture running in independent virtual machines. This system divides work among planning agents, execution agents, and verification agents – similar to a small team working together rather than a single assistant.

According to Monica.im, Manus has set a new state-of-the-art performance benchmark in the GAIA test, which evaluates general AI assistants’ ability to solve real-world problems.


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The AI can:

  • Write and execute code
  • Browse the web
  • Operate applications
  • Remember user preferences
  • Work asynchronously in the cloud

The Team Behind Manus

Monica.im, the company behind Manus, was founded by Xiao Hong (also known as “Red”), a 1992-born software engineering graduate from Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Before developing Manus, Xiao:

  • Founded Ye Ying Technology in 2015
  • Created AI-powered assistant tools
  • Developed Monica, an AI assistant that integrates models like Claude 3.5 and DeepSeek
  • Built a user base that reportedly reached 10 million for Monica

Industry Impact and Competition

The launch of Manus signals China’s growing ambitions in artificial intelligence and puts it in direct competition with other autonomous AI systems. The source mentions that OpenAI announced pricing for its doctor-level AI agents, targeting industries like finance, healthcare, and manufacturing.

While Manus represents a significant advancement, experts remain skeptical about some claims. No independent evaluations have confirmed Manus’ superiority over OpenAI models, and its real-world performance outside controlled demonstrations is yet to be verified.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Manus different from other AI assistants like ChatGPT? Unlike traditional AI assistants that only generate text responses, Manus can independently execute complex tasks from start to finish. It can plan work, access tools, browse the web, write code, and deliver complete results without requiring step-by-step human guidance.
What tasks can Manus actually perform? According to the source material, Manus can handle tasks including analyzing resumes, planning travel, researching real estate options, analyzing stocks, creating educational content, comparing insurance policies, sourcing suppliers, analyzing financial reports, and helping with online store operations.
How does Manus work technically? Manus uses a “Multiple Agents” architecture where different AI models work together like a team. It has planning agents (to break down tasks), execution agents (to do the work), and verification agents (to check results). These run in independent virtual machines and can use tools like web browsers and code editors.
Who created Manus and what is their background? Manus was developed by Monica.im, founded by Xiao Hong, a software engineering graduate from Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Xiao previously founded Ye Ying Technology in 2015 and developed Monica, an AI assistant with millions of users.
Has Manus been independently tested? While Monica.im claims Manus has set a new benchmark in the GAIA test (which evaluates AI assistants), no independent evaluations have yet confirmed its superiority over other AI models like those from OpenAI. Its performance in practical applications outside controlled demonstrations remains to be verified.
How does Manus compare to similar efforts from companies like OpenAI? Manus appears to be in direct competition with OpenAI’s development of AI agents. The source mentions that OpenAI announced pricing for its doctor-level AI agents. However, without independent verification, it’s difficult to make direct performance comparisons between the systems.

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