Investing.com-- A Chinese team has unveiled a new artificial intelligence agent, Manus AI, on Wednesday, with claims that the general AI agent is capable of outperforming similar offerings from AI major OpenAI.
Manus, which was unveiled by the eponymous Chinese developer in a promotional video released to YouTube, claimed to outperform OpenAI models across all three difficulty levels in the GAIA benchmark test, which evaluates general AI assistants on their ability to solve real-world problems.
Unlike conventional AI models that focus on chat-based workflows, Manus operates autonomously, executing tasks across various domains, Manus AI co-founder and chief scientist Yichao ’Peak’ Ji said in the video.
One key feature of Manus is its asynchronous cloud-based operation, allowing users to close their devices while the AI continues working, providing results upon completion. It also incorporates memory and learning capabilities, adapting to user preferences over time, Yichao said.
In demonstrations, Manus successfully screened and ranked resumes, conducted complex real estate research, and performed financial data analysis, including stock correlation studies.
The AI autonomously wrote Python scripts for data visualization and even deployed an interactive website, according to the introductory video.
Manus AI, which has tested its agent on platforms like Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) and Fiverr (NYSE:FVRR), plans to open-source key models later this year, aiming to foster collaboration in AI-driven automation, according to the co-founder.
Manus’ release follows a swathe of new Chinese AI offerings, as interest in the country’s AI capabilities ramped up with the release of DeepSeek R1 earlier this year. DeepSeek claimed to be able to match rival offerings, such as OpenAI’s GPTs, while using older hardware and a fraction of the latter’s budget.
Manus appears to be in direct competition with OpenAI’s attempts at developing AI agents- programs that can operate independently on the internet based on preset parameters and goals.
Chinese AI-related stocks surge; Alibaba releases new model
Investors flocked to AI-related stocks amid potential partnerships or technological breakthroughs involving the company.
The broader Hang Seng TECH index surged 4.7%, reflecting the sector-wide boost.
Hong Kong-listed Chinese tech giants jumped, with Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) Group Holding Ltd (HK:9988) shares jumping 7.2% as it released a new open-source AI model that rivaled DeepSeek.
Tencent Holdings Ltd (HK:0700) shares jumped 5.8%, while Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) Inc (HK:9888) shares rose 3.8%.
Hong Kong-listed JD.com (HK:9618) shares jumped over 4%, while Xiaomi (OTC:XIACF) Corp (HK:1810) shares were 1.5% higher.