Introducing Manus: The general AI agent

Manus handles time-intensive tasks like sifting through a folder of resumes, carefully analyzing each one and compiling detailed rankings in multiple file outputs, such as CSV or Excel.

If you prefer certain job skills or industry experience, Manus updates its internal knowledge base and tailors recommendations to your evolving criteria.

Developed by a dedicated team in Shenzhen and launched on March 6, Manus quickly drew global attention for its unprecedented autonomy and rapid problem-solving abilities.

Unlike conventional chatbots, Manus isn’t limited to short question-and-answer exchanges. It can orchestrate complex, multi-step research processes—from scanning news sites to summarizing data in real time—while you focus on higher-level decisions. Once you issue a goal, it works in the background, and you can check on the results whenever you like.

Here’s an example report that Manus generated after being asked to deeply analyze Tesla stocks and then build an interactive website showing the results:

Some aspects of Manus’s technology will eventually be open-sourced, enabling the broader community to experiment with certain models and adapt them for specialized use cases. Currently in private beta, Manus has demonstrated how AI can move beyond simple conversations and help automate key recruiting, finance, and more workflows.

Multi-Agent Architecture: The backbone of Manus

Manus orchestrates a suite of specialized sub-agents (for planning, knowledge retrieval, code generation, etc.), which work together in parallel to handle complex workflows. Manus breaks down multifaceted tasks—such as scanning resumes in a zip file—into smaller parts and delegates them to the right sub-agent.

When Manus researches your ideal apartment in San Francisco, for example, it doesn’t stop at listing property ads; it scours crime data, rental trends, and even weather patterns, delivering a curated shortlist tailored to your needs.

Manus operates within a virtual computing environment in the cloud, meaning you can switch off your computer, and it’ll still keep working in the background, sending notifications when it finishes.

“Manus’s Computer”: real-time transparency

One of Manus’s unique selling points is its side panel, called “Manus’s computer.” Unlike black-box AI assistants that hide their processes, Manus shows the steps it takes. Manus can use a browser just like you and I, although Manus will be significantly faster. It opens tabs, fills out forms, and navigates websites independently.

The sub-agents pass tasks back and forth until they converge on a finished product—a report, a spreadsheet, or a coded website.

Replayable sessions

Manus also offers the option to replay past sessions, so you can watch how it tackled a project. Want to see how it compiled a market analysis report or coded a functional website?

Just roll back the timeline and observe each step in detail. Replayable sessions are ideal for debugging and review. They can also be used for training and collaboration, shared with team members, or refined for future tasks.

Another Milestone For Chinese AI—and for open source

Manus emerges from a flourishing AI ecosystem in Shenzhen, showcasing how local expertise and a commitment to rapid experimentation can spark new approaches to advanced autonomy.

While its core technology leverages multiple language models, including refined Qwen models, the project embraces a hybrid strategy that blends proprietary breakthroughs with open-source initiatives.

By making parts of Manus’s framework publicly available in the future, its creators plan to accelerate community-driven experimentation and elevate standard practices across AI development as a whole.

This move not only highlights the growing influence of Chinese AI firms, but also signals a future where open-source and proprietary solutions may increasingly intersect, as we wrote about in Breaking the AI Mold: China's DeepSeek-R1 pushes local and open AI forward.

Private Beta and next steps

Manus remains in an invite-only testing phase, and no public pricing details have been released yet. Early adopters have praised its versatility and speed, though some have reported hiccups that underscore the complexity of rolling out an AI agent this advanced.

Refinements are expected before a wider release, but Manus’s core technology is ready to challenge the established Silicon Valley players.

Final thoughts

It’s still too soon to declare a clear victor in the global AI race, but Manus undeniably sets a new benchmark for autonomy in artificial intelligence. By merging multi-agent architecture, robust background processing, and fully replayable workflows, it transitions AI from an "assistant" role to a self-directed actor.

Manus signals that the age of fully autonomous AI is no longer a distant theoretical leap—it’s here, and it’s changing everything.