What is Manus AI and is it having a DeepSeek moment?
A new Chinese AI platform is causing a frenzy. But is it worth the hype? Euronews Next takes a look.
ADVERTISEMENT
A new Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) platform called Manus AI claims to have developed the world's first fully autonomous AI agent, which is making waves globally as a new impressive AI benchmark that follows the success of fellow Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek.
Its release was announced on March 5 on the social media platform X by the start-up Butterfly Effect, which built Manus.
The company called it 'the first general AI agent' that autonomously executes complex tasks.
But it has already drawn criticism from experts who warn about data privacy. Here is all we know about Manus AI and what it can do.
What can Manus AI do?
Tech companies are battling it out to develop AI agents, which do not have a specific definition but can generally be explained as having some degree of autonomy, meaning they can perform tasks such as ordering groceries, analysing data, and generating reports following the instructions of a human rather than just providing information.
Manus AI says on its website that it was named after the Latin word for hand and is "a general AI agent that turns your thoughts into actions".
The platform shows on its website that it can supposedly perform tasks such as buying property, programming video games, analysing stocks, and planning travel itineraries.
Manus' creator said in a video that it is more than "just another chatbot or workflow... It's a completely autonomous agent".
"We see it as the next paradigm of human-machine collaboration and potentially a glimpse into AGI," Manus AI chief scientist Yichao "Peak" Ji said, referring to artificial general intelligence, a type of AI that matches or surpasses human cognitive capabilities and that we could lose control of.
How does Manus AI work?
The platform was not developed entirely from scratch, as it relies on existing large language models (LLMs) such as Anthropic's Claude and Alibaba's Qwen.
But Manus AI has gained attention because of its claims about its strong benchmark performance, which shows it beat OpenAI's o3-powered Deep Research agent, according to a graph posted on the official Manus website.
What do AI experts have to say about it?
Some AI experts have said Manus AI is 'China's second DeepSeek moment,' according to Rowan Cheung, founder of The Rundown AI newsletter, in a LinkedIn post, who later tested the platform.
'This AI agent called 'Manus' is going crazy viral in China right now… It's like Deep Research + Operator + Claude Computer combined, and it's REALLY good,' he added.
But other experts said that despite being heralded as another major AI breakthrough, Manus is unlikely to live up to the hype.
'From what we've seen through demonstrations of Manus so far, there is plenty of evidence that Manus doesn't get things right on the first try or gets stuck in infinite loops,' Bradford Levy, assistant professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in the US, told Euronews Next.
ADVERTISEMENT
'Overall, there's a notable lack of transparency around what Manus is really capable of doing, which would suggest that for all the talk around Manus, there's a good chance it won't meet expectations,' he added.
Levy also warned that users should be wary of the data they are feeding to platforms such as Manus and question the ties it has to the Chinese Communist Party.
Related Estonia announces new AI initiative with OpenAI to roll out chatbots in schools
China's National Intelligence Law states that companies must "support, assist and cooperate" with state intelligence agencies, meaning that any data shared on mobile and web apps can be accessed by those agencies.
'At this point, it is well established that Beijing is actively working to covertly collect sensitive information on people around the globe. What better way to achieve that end than to provide a shiny app where people willingly turn over sensitive information?' said Levy.
ADVERTISEMENT
Other Manus AI users said there were error messages and that it made mistakes and missed information that could be found easily online.
'Unfortunately, Manus AI failed after 50 minutes at step 18/20! It was performing quite well-I was watching Manus' output & it seemed excellent. However, running the same prompt a second time is a bit frustrating as it takes too long,' said Pierre-Carl Langlais, the co-founder of AI startup Pleias, in a post on X.
Who can use Manus AI?
Manus is in invitation-only private testing for the moment.
'The current invite-only mechanism is due to genuinely limited server capacity at this stage,' Zhang Tao, Manus AI's product partner, said in a social media post.
ADVERTISEMENT
'The team underestimated the enthusiasm of the public response, and our server resources were only planned for a demonstration level,' he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
an hour ago
- LeMonde
US and China seek to extend fragile trade truce at London talks
The United States and China are to sit down at the negotiating table in London on Monday, June 9, to attempt to preserve a fragile truce on trade, despite simmering tensions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are leading the US delegation, President Donald Trump announced on Friday. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng – who led Beijing's negotiating team at previous talks with the United States last month in Geneva – would also head the team in London, China's foreign ministry announced at the weekend. "The meeting should go very well," Trump said on his Truth Social platform. His press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told Fox News on Sunday: "We want China and the United States to continue moving forward with the agreement that was struck in Geneva." While the UK government reiterated that it was not involved in the content of the discussions in any way, a spokesperson said: "We are a nation that champions free trade." UK authorities "have always been clear that a trade war is in nobody's interests, so we welcome these talks," the spokesperson added. Rare earths The talks in London come just a few days after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping finally held their first publicly announced telephone talks since the Republican returned to the White House. Trump said the call, which took place on Thursday, had reached a "very positive conclusion." Xi was quoted by state-run news agency Xinhua as saying that "correcting the course of the big ship of Sino-US relations requires us to steer well and set the direction." The call came after tensions between the world's two biggest economies soared, with Trump accusing Beijing of violating a tariff de-escalation deal reached in Geneva in mid-May. "We need China to comply with their side of the deal. And so that's what the trade team will be discussing tomorrow," Leavitt said on Sunday. A key issue in the negotiations will be Beijing's shipments of rare earths – crucial to a range of goods including electric vehicle batteries and which have been a bone of contention for some time. "Rare earth shipments from China to the US have slowed since President Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs in April," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading group XTB. "The US wants these shipments to be reinstated, while China wants the US to rethink immigration curbs on students, restrictions on access to advanced technology including microchips, and to make it easier for Chinese tech providers to access US consumers," she added. Partner service Learn French with Gymglish Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day. Try for free In April, Trump introduced sweeping worldwide tariffs that targeted China most heavily. At one point, the United States hit China with additional levies of 145% on its goods as both sides engaged in tit-for-tat escalation. China's countermeasures on US goods reached 125%. Then in Switzerland, after two days of talks, the two sides agreed to slash their staggeringly high tariffs for 90 days. But differences have persisted, including over China's restrictions on exporting rare earth minerals. The impact was reflected in the latest official export data released Monday in Beijing. Exports to the United States fell 12.7% on month in May, with China shipping $28.8 billion worth in goods last month. This is down from $33 billion in April, according to Beijing's General Administration of Customs. There is also huge uncertainty around the outcome of other trade disputes. Throughout its talks with Washington, China has also launched discussions with other trading partners – including Japan and South Korea – in a bid to build a united front to counter Trump's tariffs. On Thursday, Beijing turned to Canada, with the two sides agreeing to regularize their channels of communication after a period of strained ties. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese Premier Li Qiang also discussed trade and the fentanyl crisis, Ottawa said. Beijing has also proposed establishing a "green channel" to ease the export of rare earths to the European Union, and the fast-tracking approval of some export licenses. China is expected to host a summit with the EU in July, marking 50 years since Beijing and Brussels established diplomatic ties.
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
US, China trade officials meet in London for new round of negotiations
05:54 From the show American and Chinese delegations are meeting in London for a new round of trade talks, with US tariffs and Chinese export restrictions on rare earth minerals at the top of the agenda. Also in this edition: Japan pushes its own trade talks with Washington, and French art lovers protest a construction project near the site of Paul Cezanne's most famous landscapes.
Euronews
6 hours ago
- Euronews
China says US exports have plummeted ahead of trade talks in London
China's exports rose 4.8% in May from a year earlier, according to data released on Monday just hours ahead of another round of trade talks between the US and China. The total was a bit lower than expected, as shipments to the United States fell nearly 10%. Imports declined 3.4% year-on-year, leaving a trade surplus of $103.2bn (€90.33bn). China exported $28.8bn to the United States in May, while its imports from the US fell 7.4% to $10.8bn, the report said. Still, exports to Southeast Asia and the European Union remained robust, growing 14.8% and 12% year-on-year. 'The acceleration of exports to other economies has helped China's exports remain relatively buoyant in the face of the trade war,' Lynne Song of ING Economics said in a commentary. Still, trade slowed in May from an 8.1% jump in China's global exports in April. Many businesses had rushed orders to try to beat higher tariffs, even as some new import duties took effect or remained in place. Exports will likely rebound somewhat in June thanks to a 90-day suspension of most of the tariffs China and the US imposed on each other in their escalating trade war. 'But with tariffs likely to remain elevated and Chinese manufacturers facing broader constraints on their ability to sustain rapid gains in global market share, we think export growth will slow further by year-end,' Zichun Huang of Capital Economics said in a report. Despite the tariffs truce, the rancour between Beijing and Washington has persisted, with angry exchanges over advanced semiconductors, 'rare earths' that are vital to many industries, and visas for Chinese students at American universities. The next round of negotiations is due to take place on Monday in London, following a phone call last week between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Other figures released on Monday highlight how slowing exports are impacting the world's second largest economy, since China imports many of the components and materials needed for the goods it assembles for the world. At the same time, China's own domestic markets are suffering. The government reported that consumer prices fell 0.1% in May, pointing to sluggish demand. The persisting deflation partly reflects lower food prices, economists said. Producer price deflation was worse, contracting 3.3% in May, its lowest level in almost two years, after falling 2.7% in April. Salaries vary widely across sectors and professions in Europe. While a number of jobs are disappearing, new ones are also emerging. Some roles, like those in healthcare, continue to be essential. So, which sectors offer the highest pay in Europe? And what are the top-earning jobs? Exploring these questions can help when choosing a career — though salary may not be the main driver for everyone. Euronews Business analyses the highest-paying roles in Europe, using data shared by the global hiring platform Indeed with our journalists. The analysis covers four countries (the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands) and the salary data reflects annual earnings from May 2024 to April 2025. The occupation 'physicians and surgeons' is excluded from the main dataset, prompting a separate analysis. Medical consultants, radiologists, medical directors, orthodontists, and dentists are consistently among the highest-paid roles across all countries. These jobs appear in categories including: medical technician, medical information, nursing, and dental. This is especially true in the UK, where nearly half of the top 20 highest-paying jobs fall under these brackets. In France, three of the top four highest-paying jobs are also in these categories — particularly dental roles. Titles such as managing director, director of strategy, project director, and director of technology are well compensated across countries. These positions are found in sectors like sales, banking and finance, technology, and general management, indicating that leadership roles tend to carry premium compensation in many industries. Roles in software development, information design and documentation, and IT operations — like software engineer, data engineer, and SAP consultant — are well-paid, particularly in Germany and the Netherlands. While entry-level sales roles are less lucrative, senior roles like sales director, head of sales, and enterprise account executive show high earning potential. These roles often come with large pay packages in Germany and the Netherlands, where experienced sales professionals can earn salaries comparable to those seen in tech or management roles. Positions like tax director, labour law attorney (or an employment solicitor), and financial controller are consistently high-paying, particularly in Germany and the UK. These roles fall under legal, accounting, and banking and finance categories and reward deep regulatory or financial expertise. Job skills are constantly evolving, especially with advancements in technology. 'Continuous learning is essential in a fast-evolving market,' Pawel Adrjan, Director of Economic Research at Indeed, told Euronews Business. 'As was the case with all prior cases of technological innovations, professionals who proactively learn new tools, platforms, and methodologies will position themselves more competitively to work most efficiently with the emerging technologies.' In Germany, corporate tax advisors receive the highest annual median salary, at €145,000. The chart also displays mean salaries for comparison. Various sales roles, such as managing director and head of sales, follow closely, with median earnings ranging from €107,500 to €138,243. A labour law attorney earns €105,000, while a lawyer receives €93,334. System applications product (SAP) consultants earn just below the €100,000 threshold, with senior system engineers close behind at €95,000. Other tech roles such as IT security specialist and technical SAP consultant make around €90,000. In the management category, directors also earn approximately €90,000. There is only one medical title listed — dentists — earning a median salary of nearly €86,000. In France, dentists top the list with the highest annual median salary at €95,000, followed by orthodontists earning €78,750. In the tech sector, network architects receive €72,361, while medical technicians in the healthcare field make €70,000. A compliance officer in production and manufacturing earns €67,500. Roles like domain manager and sales agent follow, with salaries of around €65,000 and €64,855 respectively. The digital transformation consultant and mechanical designer earn €62,750 and €62,500. Several positions report identical median salaries of €60,000, including engineering director, real estate salesperson, operations director, senior sales representative, account executive, production director, human resources director, cloud architect (cloud IT professional) and loan broker advisor. Healthcare professions dominate the top end of the UK salary spectrum, with nine of the top 20 highest-paying roles in this sector. In the UK, fashion models top the list with a striking annual median salary of €166,390 (£140,000). They are followed by medical consultants, earning €145,821 (£111,412). Medical directors and radiologists both earn €137,566. Other high earners in the healthcare sector include orthodontists (€130,767), clinical consultants (€125,392), chief nursing officers (€124,793), and clinical directors (€109,442). Associate dentists (€116,785) and periodontists (€113,808) are also among the top earners. In sterling, their annual salaries range from £96,000 to £116,000. Senior leadership and technical roles also feature prominently: project directors earn €122,528, directors of technology €121,821, and microbiologists €121,313. In the Netherlands, roles in management, accounting, and software development are among the best-paid. General directors lead with a median annual salary of €115,000. Other top-paying roles include business controllers (€80,000), team leaders (€78,206), and engineers (€75,208). Finance roles like controllers and financial controllers also perform well, earning between €72,500 and €75,816. Salaries in sales and tech positions tend to cluster between €56,500 and €66,000, with roles such as sales manager, software engineer, data analyst, and account executive all falling within this range. 'Attending a top-ranked university can certainly influence job prospects and salary potential, especially in countries like France or the UK,' Pawel Adrjan said. He noted that graduating from elite educational institutions like grandes écoles and universities with a long history can be perceived as a signal of ability in the labour market. 'However, recent trends we observe on Indeed in both the UK and France show that formal education requirements in job postings are becoming less common, especially in high-skill fields like IT and data science, suggesting a gradual shift toward skills-based hiring,' he added. As jobs continue to evolve, it's completely natural for the highest-paying roles to change too. 'Over the next 5-10 years, we anticipate that green energy, AI/GenAI, cybersecurity, and biotechnology will produce new top-earning job titles,' said Adrjan of Indeed. He explained that roles like AI ethicist, key sustainability roles, GenAI engineers, and climate data analysts are gaining traction and are likely to move into the upper salary echelons as demand for specialised expertise in these areas grows.
