Meta acquires AI agent Manus amid regulatory concerns

Meta has agreed to acquire Manus, an artificial intelligence agent developed by a company founded in China but now headquartered in Singapore, the companies announced.

The deal comes as analysts caution that it could face regulatory hurdles amid intensifying technological rivalry between the United States and China.

AI agents, which go beyond chatbots such as ChatGPT by autonomously carrying out complex tasks, are viewed as a major growth area in artificial intelligence. Manus, created by startup Butterfly Effect, can perform functions such as reviewing and summarising resumes or building a stock analysis website, according to the company.

Meta said on Monday that the acquisition, for which financial terms were not disclosed, would help bring advanced AI agent technology to a global audience and create new opportunities for businesses across its platforms.

Manus chief executive Xiao Hong said the partnership would allow the company to scale its technology far beyond its current reach, describing the development as part of a new era in artificial intelligence where systems can act and create, not just converse.

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has been accelerating the company’s investment in AI, committing billions of dollars to acquisitions, hiring and the construction of data centres.

According to Bloomberg Intelligence, the acquisition is likely intended to strengthen Meta’s AI agent capabilities and could be valued at more than $2 billion. Analysts added that the deal may attract scrutiny because Manus, despite being based in Singapore, was originally founded in China.