What is ‘Manus’? China’s new AI assistant app after DeepSeek

China has unveiled ‘Manus’ a new AI assistant after DeepSeek. It is a new high-powered AI technology that is making a buzz in the market. It is making people curious about its services and can outshine the AI DeepSeek, which earlier this year fazed the global tech industry with its pro-level chatbot.

Manus is more advanced than a chatbot with more personalised results. It takes more autonomous action. Chinese company Butterfly Effect launched ‘Manus’ last week on Mar 6, 2025.

Also read | Why South Korea banned new downloads of DeepSeek?

This AI agent generally considered more progressive than a basic chatbot, can do anything from examining the stock exchanges and personal reservations to creating a personalised travel itinerary for a trip with simple responses from users, its website says.

New invention

The ‘Manus’ word is dereived from the Latin motto “Mens et Manus,” which translates to “mind and hand,” highlighting the combination of knowledge and practical application.

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In an online viral video, co-founder Yichao “Peak” Ji praised ‘Manus’ as “the next paradigm of human-machine collaboration, and potentially a peek into AGI.” He expressed that it works to think the way humans do.

Functions of Manus

Manus works in the cloud, let users continue work even if a user disconnects. This ensures uninterrupted success on long-term events. Not like other ordinary AI apps, it actively searches the web, drives with websites, and shows its operations live. This helps users see how the AI collects and processes information.

The AI combines all relevant data and makes new roadmaps with links, maps, and travel options. Manus is currently accessible only by invitation and has quickly gained fame, with its official Discord server now boasting over 170,000 members.

(With inputs from agencies)