China’s Manus Draws Inspiration From DeepSeek, Challenges US AI Dominance

The growing competition among leading artificial intelligence developers in the US is getting stiff, with tech giants racing to develop sophisticated AI agents that can perform complex tasks on users' behalf. Now, a lesser-known Chinese startup seems to have stolen a march on all of them. 

Making a Splash 

At the launch last week, Manus AI released a preview version of what it called a general AI agent capable of screening resumes, creating a trip itinerary and analyzing stocks in response to basic instructions from the user. The company, Butterfly Effect, said its service performed better on some fronts than OpenAI’s Deep Research, another recently released agent.

While some AI agents require some measure of direction and supervision, Manus AI co-founder and chief scientist Yichao Ji said its product is “truly autonomous.” A slick video demonstration from the company quickly went viral, prompting a scramble for a limited number of invites to test the AI tool. 

Why the Buzz? 

Manus has set tongues wagging, most of it on social media, with the buzz earning Manus comparisons to DeepSeek, the Chinese upstart that rattled Silicon Valley in January by releasing a competitive AI model that it claimed to have developed for a fraction of the cost that US rivals have spent on their own technology. 

Like its Chinese counterpart, Manus is sparking debates about the US lead on artificial intelligence — this time in a product category that US tech companies see as a key investment area. However, some users claim that Manus lacks the speed of OpenAI's Deep Research and seems to be unfinished. 

There's much to come from the company and the product, including whether it's building on existing models or setting the pace with its AI development. In that case, the startup would need enough capital running into millions to leave the competition in its wake. So far, Butterfly Effect has raised more than $10 million in financing, several China-based media outlets have reported. Manus did not respond to a request for comment.

Quiet Development 

Manus has gone about its business quietly, unlike DeepSeek and some US companies. It has not published detailed papers alongside its release to provide details about how the technology was developed, nor has it publicly released any of the code or weights associated with its AI for people to use independently.

Users testing Manus can select from two options: a standard mode or a high-effort mode, the latter of which takes more time to process requests. Yong Qian, founder of OmniEdge Inc., said Manus “creates a task list, performs each step one by one, fixes any problems it encounters and asks questions if it needs new commands.” Then it offers up a response.

In recent months, Google, xAI, OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI companies have released agents that can use a person’s computer to browse the internet, conduct online research and complete various multi-step tasks. However, early Manus users claim that the tool rivaled what’s currently on the market, saying "Manus is the best AI tool currently."