Meta Acquires Chinese-Founded AI Firm Manus

Meta Acquires AI Startup Manus Amid Rare Deal

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced a deal to acquire artificial intelligence startup Manus. The acquisition is part of a rare crossover between US and Chinese technology companies amid ongoing tensions in the tech industry.

According to Meta, the deal will see the company take over the operation of Manus’s self-directing AI agent, which is being hailed as a “virtual colleague” capable of planning, executing, and delivering complete work products. The AI agent has been touted for its capabilities, including creating travel itineraries and analyzing stocks with minimal human intervention.

The acquisition is expected to bring one of the leading autonomous general-purpose agents to billions of people worldwide. Manus’s founder and CEO, Xiao Hong, expressed excitement about the deal, stating that it marks a significant milestone in the development of AI technology.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Manus has generated significant buzz in tech circles following its launch earlier this year, with some comparing its capabilities to those of the Chinese-developed chatbot DeepSeek. The company claims to have created over 80 million virtual computers and has announced that its annual recurring revenue has surpassed $100m.

Meta stated that it will integrate the technology into its own products, including in Meta AI. The deal is seen as a significant development in the tech industry, with implications for the future of artificial intelligence and its potential applications.

Source: Al Jazeera