Build interactive web games from prompts
Chinese AI startup Monica.im releases its AI agent Manus that claims to rival OpenAI's ChatGPT Operator and Anthropic's Computer Use. Task: Chinese AI startup Monica.im releases its AI agent Manus that claims to rival OpenAI's ChatGPT Operator and Anthropic's Computer Use. Hi, this is Tony! Welcome to this issue of Recode China AI (for the week of March 3, 2025), your go-to newsletter for the latest AI news and research in China. Personal Update: I left Baidu last month and am joining a new company (unrelated to AI) this week, so updates to this newsletter may become less frequent. I’ll continue monitoring AI developments in China but will highlight only the most impactful stories. Thanks in advance for your understanding! This newsletter is very important to me, and I’ll keep delivering quality content. Over the past week, an AI agent called Manus quickly gained popularity across the Chinese tech community. It is hailed as the GPT or DeepSeek moment in AI agent, a type of software program that can autonomously perform tasks on behalf of users. Manus can handle a wide range of tasks such as producing a personalized travel handbook, creating an interactive course on the scale of universe, analyzing Tesla’s stock trends. It has also achieved (state-of-the-art) SOTA performance on the GAIA benchmark, surpassing OpenAI’s Deep Research. However, it also sparked controversy, as critics dismissed the product as merely a “wrapper” around existing open-source technologies. The underlying models of Manus include Anthropic’s Claude and fine-tuned Alibaba’s Qwen. Additionally, two similar projects were open-sourced within days. What is Manus? How good is it? Who’s behind Manus? Let’s dive in. What’s New: On March 6, Beijing-based AI startup Monica.im (the company’s Chinese name is , translated as Butterfly Effect) released Manus, touted as the first general AI agent. Named after the Latin word for “hand,” Manus goes beyond traditional AI chatbots by actively performing tasks using a sophisticated Multiple-Agent architecture. According to the company, each agent operates independently within a virtual machine environment, capable of breaking down queries into to-do steps, writing and executing code, accessing web resources, and interacting with applications autonomously. While Manus has yet to launch publicly, it has provided early testing access to invited users. On one Chinese second-hand marketplace, invitations were reportedly selling for tens of thousands of yuan. The product has also started gaining traction on X. How it Works: Manus showcases its prowess through diverse practical demonstrations: Resume Screening: Manus automatically unpacks compressed files, reviews candidate resumes, ranks applicants based on their expertise, and outputs data into structured Excel tables. Resume Screening: Manus automatically unpacks compressed files, reviews candidate resumes, ranks applicants based on their expertise, and outputs data into structured Excel tables. Real Estate Selection: Manus assists users seeking properties in New York by analyzing neighborhood safety, school quality, and affordability. It executes Python scripts to calculate budgets based on user income and filters suitable properties, compiling findings into professional, actionable reports. Real Estate Selection: Manus assists users seeking properties in New York by analyzing neighborhood safety, school quality, and affordability. It executes Python scripts to calculate budgets based on user income and filters suitable properties, compiling findings into professional, actionable reports. Stock Market Analysis: Manus retrieves historical stock data (e.g., NVIDIA, Marvell, TSMC), verifies accuracy through multiple sources, and uses Python-driven visualizations to clearly illustrate market correlations and insights. Stock Market Analysis: Manus retrieves historical stock data (e.g., NVIDIA, Marvell, TSMC), verifies accuracy through multiple sources, and uses Python-driven visualizations to clearly illustrate market correlations and insights. On the GAIA benchmark—evaluating real-world task-solving capabilities—Manus set new SOTA records across all levels. Currently, mainstream AI agent services remain costly—ChatGPT Operator charges $200 per month, while developer-focused AI service Devin costs $500 per month. In contrast, Manus is free during its testing phase, with an estimated per-task cost of $2. Hands-On Testing: I don’t have an invitation code, so I relied on firsthand reviews from Lanxi, a well-known tech influencer in China.; tools: Manus. Human role: The original post does not say how a person stayed involved.; limitations: Manus requires invitation codes, which were reportedly sold for high prices on secondary markets. It struggles with complex tasks, screen adaptability, and suffers from server outages. Tasks can take over 30 minutes to hours. The underlying technology is disputed as a potential 'wrapper' around existing models, raising questions about proprietary innovation and reliability..
Tools
Published on Agent Work Atlas:
Overview
Chinese AI startup Monica.im releases its AI agent Manus that claims to rival OpenAI's ChatGPT Operator and Anthropic's Computer Use.
Workflow
Chinese AI startup Monica.im releases its AI agent Manus that claims to rival OpenAI's ChatGPT Operator and Anthropic's Computer Use. Hi, this is Tony! Welcome to this issue of Recode China AI (for the week of March 3, 2025), your go-to newsletter for the latest AI news and research in China. Personal Update: I left Baidu last month and am joining a new company (unrelated to AI) this week, so updates to this newsletter may become less frequent. I’ll continue monitoring AI developments in China but will highlight only the most impactful stories. Thanks in advance for your understanding! This newsletter is very important to me, and I’ll keep delivering quality content. Over the past week, an AI agent called Manus quickly gained popularity across the Chinese tech community. It is hailed as the GPT or DeepSeek moment in AI agent, a type of software program that can autonomously perform tasks on behalf of users. Manus can handle a wide range of tasks such as producing a personalized travel handbook, creating an interactive course on the scale of universe, analyzing Tesla’s stock trends. It has also achieved (state-of-the-art) SOTA performance on the GAIA benchmark, surpassing OpenAI’s Deep Research. However, it also sparked controversy, as critics dismissed the product as merely a “wrapper” around existing open-source technologies. The underlying models of Manus include Anthropic’s Claude and fine-tuned Alibaba’s Qwen. Additionally, two similar projects were open-sourced within days. What is Manus? How good is it? Who’s behind Manus? Let’s dive in. What’s New: On March 6, Beijing-based AI startup Monica.im (the company’s Chinese name is , translated as Butterfly Effect) released Manus, touted as the first general AI agent. Named after the Latin word for “hand,” Manus goes beyond traditional AI chatbots by actively performing tasks using a sophisticated Multiple-Agent architecture. According to the company, each agent operates independently within a virtual machine environment, capable of breaking down queries into to-do steps, writing and executing code, accessing web resources, and interacting with applications autonomously. While Manus has yet to launch publicly, it has provided early testing access to invited users. On one Chinese second-hand marketplace, invitations were reportedly selling for tens of thousands of yuan. The product has also started gaining traction on X. How it Works: Manus showcases its prowess through diverse practical demonstrations: Resume Screening: Manus automatically unpacks compressed files, reviews candidate resumes, ranks applicants based on their expertise, and outputs data into structured Excel tables. Resume Screening: Manus automatically unpacks compressed files, reviews candidate resumes, ranks applicants based on their expertise, and outputs data into structured Excel tables. Real Estate Selection: Manus assists users seeking properties in New York by analyzing neighborhood safety, school quality, and affordability. It executes Python scripts to calculate budgets based on user income and filters suitable properties, compiling findings into professional, actionable reports. Real Estate Selection: Manus assists users seeking properties in New York by analyzing neighborhood safety, school quality, and affordability. It executes Python scripts to calculate budgets based on user income and filters suitable properties, compiling findings into professional, actionable reports. Stock Market Analysis: Manus retrieves historical stock data (e.g., NVIDIA, Marvell, TSMC), verifies accuracy through multiple sources, and uses Python-driven visualizations to clearly illustrate market correlations and insights. Stock Market Analysis: Manus retrieves historical stock data (e.g., NVIDIA, Marvell, TSMC), verifies accuracy through multiple sources, and uses Python-driven visualizations to clearly illustrate market correlations and insights. On the GAIA benchmark—evaluating real-world task-solving capabilities—Manus set new SOTA records across all levels. Currently, mainstream AI agent services remain costly—ChatGPT Operator charges $200 per month, while developer-focused AI service Devin costs $500 per month. In contrast, Manus is free during its testing phase, with an estimated per-task cost of $2. Hands-On Testing: I don’t have an invitation code, so I relied on firsthand reviews from Lanxi, a well-known tech influencer in China.
Reported result
The source reports Manus achieved state-of-the-art performance on the GAIA benchmark and generated structured outputs like Excel tables and interactive reports. However, the author notes the product is controversial, potentially a 'wrapper' around Claude and Qwen, and struggles with complex tasks due to server outages and slow processing times. No independent verification of business impact or cost savings is provided.
Human role
The original post does not say how a person stayed involved.
Limitations
Manus requires invitation codes, which were reportedly sold for high prices on secondary markets. It struggles with complex tasks, screen adaptability, and suffers from server outages. Tasks can take over 30 minutes to hours. The underlying technology is disputed as a potential 'wrapper' around existing models, raising questions about proprietary innovation and reliability.
Try it
I want to test Manus for a specific business task. My goal is to [replaceable input: e.g., analyze competitor pricing or screen resumes]. I have the following inputs: [replaceable input: list of files, URLs, or data points]. Please use Manus to execute this task. First, perform a dry run on a small sample of [replaceable input: e.g., 3 resumes or 1 stock ticker]. Show me the intermediate steps and the final output format (e.g., Excel or report). Do not proceed to the full dataset until I confirm the sample output is accurate and meets my requirements. If Manus encounters errors or takes too long, stop and report the issue. Ensure no sensitive data is leaked and verify all external sources cited in the output.
Source reports are not independently verified. Publication date is the catalog publication date, not the original article date.