There’s a new tool from China called Manus AI that’s got people talking. If you’re curious about what it is, here’s Manus AI explained in simple terms: It’s an AI platform created by a company called Butterfly Effect, and they claim it’s the world’s first AI that can handle tasks all by itself—without needing constant human help. They announced it on social media on March 5, and it’s already being compared to another big Chinese AI project, DeepSeek. But, it is to be mentioned that everyone is not satisfied with this AI, many are worried about the privacy. Here’s everything you need to know.
What Can Manus AI Do?
Manus AI is supposed to be a smart helper that can take action for you, not just give you info. Imagine telling it what you want, and it does the work—like buying a house, making a video game, checking stock prices, or planning a trip. The company says it’s named after the Latin word for “hand” because it turns your ideas into real actions. Sounds cool, right?
Their chief scientist, Yichao “Peak” Ji, says it’s more than just a chatbot. He thinks it could be a peek into super-smart AI that might one day think like a human—or even better.
How Does It Work?
Manus AI didn’t start from zero. It uses existing AI tech from other companies, like Claude (made by Anthropic) and Qwen (from Alibaba). These are like building blocks it stands on. But Manus claims it’s better than others, even beating a tool from OpenAI, a big name in AI. They’ve got a graph on their website to prove it.
What Do People Think?
Some folks are excited. Rowan Cheung, who runs an AI newsletter, called it “China’s second DeepSeek moment” and said it’s “really good”—like a mix of other top AI tools. It’s super popular in China right now.
But not everyone’s sold. Bradford Levy, a professor in the U.S., says demos show it messing up sometimes—like getting stuck or making mistakes. He thinks there’s not enough info about what it can really do, so it might not be as great as they say.
Is Your Info Safe?
Here’s a big worry: privacy. Since Manus AI is from China, and Chinese laws say companies have to share data with the government, anything you tell it could end up with them. Levy warns that China might use tools like this to quietly collect personal info from people worldwide. So, if you use it, think twice about what you share.
What Are Users Saying?
Some people who’ve tried it ran into problems. One guy, Pierre-Carl Langlais, said it worked well for 50 minutes but crashed near the end. Starting over took too long, which was annoying. Others noticed it missed stuff you could easily find online. So, it’s not perfect yet.
Who Can Use It?
Right now, only a few people can try Manus AI. You need an invite because their computers can’t handle everyone who wants in. Zhang Tao, part of the team, said they didn’t expect so much interest and only planned for a small test. They’re working on it, but for now, most of us have to wait.
Final Thoughts
Here’s Manus AI explained in a nutshell: it sounds like an awesome idea—a tool that does big tasks for you all on its own. But there are still some questions floating around about how well it actually works and whether it’s safe to trust with your private info. Since it’s pretty new, time will tell if it really lives up to all the excitement. For now, it’s definitely a cool thing to keep an eye on!
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