Latest news with #Yichao"Peak"Ji
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Manus AI, Backed By Tencent And HongShan, Lands $75M Funding, Claims To Outperform OpenAI's Deep Research
Manus AI, the fast-rising Chinese startup, has secured $75 million in fresh funding led by Benchmark and backed by Tencent, ZhenFund, and HongShan Capital. The round catapults the company's valuation to nearly $500 million and positions it as a formidable contender in the global race to build truly autonomous AI agents, according to Bloomberg. Don't Miss: 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Manus, developed by the company Butterfly Effect, made waves in March after unveiling a general-purpose AI agent that handles resume screening, trip planning, and stock analysis with minimal user input. The company claims its system outperforms OpenAI's recently launched Deep Research in key areas of functionality, writes DataCamp. The buzz grew fast after a slick demo video went viral online, prompting a surge of interest and a waiting list for limited access. The hype triggered comparisons to DeepSeek, another Chinese AI firm that shocked Silicon Valley earlier this year with a highly capable, cost-effective language model. Co-founder and Chief Scientist Yichao "Peak" Ji described Manus in the demo video as a revolutionary leap forward in AI autonomy. "This isn't just another chatbot or workflow tool. It's a truly autonomous agent that bridges the gap between conception and execution," Ji said. The AI agent was designed with a multistep problem-solving framework that executes tasks, troubleshoots issues, and asks for new input only when necessary. This level of autonomy is what sets Manus apart from many of its U.S. and Chinese competitors, which still require significant human supervision. Trending: Donald Trump Just Announced a $500 Billion AI Infrastructure Deal — Manus AI's growing momentum has drawn continued attention from some of the most influential investors in both China and Silicon Valley. The startup had previously raised more than $10 million from many of the same backers, according to Next Big Future. This growing list of high-profile investors signals confidence in Butterfly Effect's long-term potential. Benchmark's decision to lead the round places Manus among a select group of emerging AI companies with support from top-tier U.S. venture capitalists. The funding will help Butterfly Effect expand its flagship product into markets like the U.S., Japan, and the Middle East, according to people familiar with the company's plans, Bloomberg reported. The deal also reflects a growing belief among global investors that China is rapidly narrowing the gap with the U.S. in advanced AI ambitions stretch far beyond the Chinese market. The company is signaling global aspirations and a willingness to go head-to-head with players like OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, according to India's Business Standard. The company has already introduced a paid subscription model with a $39/month base plan and a $199/month upgraded version, comparable to OpenAI's ChatGPT Pro. While the pricing is seen as aggressive for a product still in testing, early adopters remain intrigued. Despite the hype, Manus AI has faced some early criticism. According to Business Insider, some users say the product still feels unfinished and occasionally crashes, while others have flagged delays in task execution. Experts suggest these flaws may be tied to the company's limited computing resources during its early scaling phase. Still, the consensus is that Manus is punching well above its weight, and that's precisely what has investors excited. Manus AI's rise adds to growing questions about the United States' hold on AI innovation. With China now producing serious contenders across multiple AI categories, the technology race is evolving fast. Butterfly Effect's Manus may be the latest sign that the age of AI dominance is no longer confined to Silicon Valley. Backed by new funding and global ambitions, Manus is a startup worth watching. Read Next: Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary called Missing Ring his biggest mistake — Don't repeat history— Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – Image: Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Manus AI, Backed By Tencent And HongShan, Lands $75M Funding, Claims To Outperform OpenAI's Deep Research originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Daily Tribune
12-03-2025
- Business
- Daily Tribune
Butterfly Effect described Manus as being able to carry out tasks such as buying property in New York or editing a podcast
A new Chinese artificial intelligence agent billed as able to work independently from humans has sent insiders buzzing -- some with concern and others with disappointment. The Butterfly Effect startup has been working quietly for the past year on its AI digital assistant Manus, co-founder Yichao "Peak" Ji said in a launch video posted on YouTube. "We see it as the next paradigm of human-machine collaboration, and potentially a glimpse into AGI," he said, referencing general artificial intelligence that aims to think the way humans do. Manus launched in an invitation-only phase last week, with tickets tough to come by. Reviews surfacing on social media ranged from sensational to lackluster. "Got access and it's true... Manus is the most impressive AI tool I've ever tried," Hugging Face's head of product design Victor Mustar said in a post on X. "The agentic capabilities are mind-blowing, redefining what's possible." Criticism included those saying Manus stumbles on simple tasks such as booking a flight, or that they ran into error messages or endless loops. And since the AI processing is hosted in the cloud, users worried about the security of their data. Whether Chinese companies are taking the lead on AI has been a hot topic since China-based DeepSeek burst onto the scene in January. DeepSeek's model challenges those created by OpenAI, Google, and other US rivals but operates at a fraction of the cost. The latest artificial intelligence trend has been digital "agents" specialized for specific tasks or fields. Anthropic and OpenAI have both added such capabilities to their AI platforms since late last year. Butterfly Effect described Manus as being able to carry out tasks such as buying property in New York or editing a podcast. But TechCrunch journalist Kyle Wiggers wrote of Manus failing when asked to order him a sandwich or find him a plane ticket to Japan during a tryout. China's rapid advances in AI despite US restrictions on exports of cutting-edge computer chips worry Silicon Valley. And unleashing AI agents on the internet without tight regulation raises concerns about mishaps or abuses, like stock market chaos caused by digital agents that make factual errors. chief executive Mel Morris did not see Manus as a "revolutionary leap" from existing AI models but saw its ability to access remote computer servers as a potential risk to data confidentiality.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What to know about Manus, China's latest AI assistant
A powerful new AI tool Manus is making waves in China, fuelling hopes that it could replicate the success of DeepSeek, which earlier this year rattled the global tech industry with its state-of-the-art chatbot. Manus, an AI agent generally considered more advanced than a chatbot, can do everything from analysing the stock market to creating a personalised travel handbook for a trip with simple instructions from users, its website says. Here's what you need to know about Manus: - Rapid rise - Manus was released last week by Chinese startup Butterfly Effect. In a now viral introductory video posted online, co-founder Yichao "Peak" Ji hailed it as "the next paradigm of human-machine collaboration, and potentially a glimpse into AGI," referencing artificial general intelligence that aims to think the way humans do. Currently accessible only by invitation, Manus has quickly gained traction, with its official Discord server growing to more than 170,000 members. Its name comes from the Latin motto "Mens et Manus", meaning "mind and hand" -- a nod to its integration of knowledge and practical application. - Exclusive access - Manus is a "system that can carry out tasks autonomously on behalf of users", said Manoj Harjani, a research fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). "DeepSeek and ChatGPT differ from Manus in that they provide responses to prompts from users through a chat-style interface, whereas Manus is able to execute tasks such as booking tickets and sorting through resumes," he explained. And while DeepSeek was quietly developed behind the scenes before rising to prominence, Manus is taking a different route -- limiting access to an invite-only beta and targeting enterprise-level clients, one analyst said. "While this exclusivity can generate buzz, it may also impede widespread adoption," said Marina Zhang, an associate professor at the University of Technology Sydney's Australia-China Relations Institute. She warned Manus may not cultivate the same broad appeal as DeepSeek, which built a large community through open-source engagement, if it continues to retain a closed ecosystem. When AFP tested Manus with an invitation code given by the company, the AI assistant took significantly longer than DeepSeek to generate responses. But it was able to complete more difficult tasks compared to its Chinese rival or ChatGPT, like creating custom websites. - Touchy topics - And while DeepSeek said it was "programmed" to provide answers that toe the government line on topics considered politically sensitive in China, Manus was able to give accurate, non-censored responses. On the topic of the bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in and around Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Manus responded by stating that "the Chinese government carried out a violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square in Beijing", followed by six more paragraphs detailing the incident. It also gave a comprehensive answer when asked about allegations of human rights abuses by Beijing in Xinjiang. Asked about its uncensored replies, the programme said it does not "intentionally censor factual information". "When discussing sensitive topics like historical events or human rights issues, I aim to provide balanced, objective information that helps users understand complex subjects," it added. This could likely be because Manus "is focused on tasks and the team didn't build content control as thoroughly as chatbots like DeepSeek and ChatGPT", said Li Jianggan, founder of Momentum Works, a Singapore-based consultancy focused on tech companies. - Next DeepSeek? - Whether Manus can achieve mainstream success like DeepSeek will depend on its ability to scale to meet demand, RSIS's Harjani told AFP. But Manus is unlikely to be the next DeepSeek as they are different types of AI applications, he added. Its ability to grow would rely on "adequate computing power and effective handling of potential challenges such as technical stability and ethical or regulatory considerations", Zhang told AFP. "If Manus can successfully address these issues... it could indeed be a major player in the enterprise automation space," she said. But it remains "far from perfect" and is likely not open to the wider public yet as the team may still want to make improvements to the programme, Li said. "It is dealing with real world problems and executing real world tasks, which are diverse and complex," he told AFP. Its success remains a "big question mark". isk/oho/cms/mtp
Euronews
11-03-2025
- Business
- Euronews
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.
Axios
10-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
New Chinese AI agent draws DeepSeek comparison
Just days after its announcement, a new AI agent named Manus is winning expert acclaim while stoking concern over another AI advance rooted in Chinese research and development. Driving the news: Manus AI, named after the Latin word for hand, is billed as "a general AI agent that turns your thoughts into actions." In a video posted late last week, Manus' creator describes it 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 says in the video. Ji's demo shows Manus handling three separate tasks, sorting through resumes, identifying correlations in various stocks and searching through New York real estate — rating nearby schools and assessing how much the user can realistically afford. Manus does its work in the cloud, he says, which allows users to shut their laptop while the AI is working — but also raises concerns about data security and privacy. Why it matters: As with DeepSeek, the advent of Manus is alarming some U.S. observers who worry that China is catching up in what is often cast as a race for AI supremacy. Yes, but: For now, Manus is in invitation-only private testing. What they're saying: Manus has sparked a flurry of online discussion, with enthusiasm for its capabilities, critiques of its limitations, and warnings about its implications for privacy and security. "It looks like Manus AI presents itself as a Chinese company (with its team based in China) while maintaining a legal entity in Singapore," AI and privacy expert Luiza Jarovsky writes in a newsletter. "From a data protection perspective, the key questions are: Where are its servers located? Is there any corporate affiliation to China? Are there data transfers to China?" The other side: Skeptics are already questioning whether Manus can live up to the claims being made for it. Some early testers, like TechCrunch's Kyle Wiggers, found its performance on various tasks disappointing. The big picture: Agents with various levels of autonomy have been widely seen as the next big thing in AI and were already an industry buzzword long before Manus' arrival. Between the lines: Manus arrives at a moment of growing concern over dangers autonomous AI agents might pose. In a recent paper, four researchers at Hugging Face make a forceful argument that "fully autonomous AI agents should not be developed." "As history demonstrates, even well-engineered autonomous systems can make catastrophic errors from trivial causes," the authors write. "While increased autonomy can offer genuine benefits in specific contexts, human judgment and contextual understanding remain essential, particularly for high-stakes decisions."
