Manus AI Pushes the DeepSeek Moment Further
The viral AI agent from a Chinese startup isn’t about research breakthroughs, it’s about creating competitive consumer products.
Chinese startup Manus AI’s agent is imperfect and glitchy — but still impressive.
Photographer: Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images
After the global hype generated by Manus AI over the past week, obtaining the invite-only access code to try it out felt like scoring free front-row tickets to a Beyoncé concert.
The artificial intelligence agent from Chinese startup Butterfly Effect went mega-viral since its release of a demo video that seemed almost too good to be true. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey called it “excellent.” The head of product at leading AI startup Hugging Face said it was “the most impressive AI tool I’ve ever tried.” Its exclusivity only compounded the hype. Just 1% of those seeking access to the beta version have gotten in, and invitation codes are being listed on reselling websites for upwards of $1,000.