BEIJING: On Thursday, Manus, a Chinese AI startup, registered its AI assistant aimed at domestic markets and made its debut in state media, showcasing Beijing’s initiative to elevate local AI enterprises that have gained international acclaim.
Following the surprising emergence of China’s DeepSeek, which launched AI models that rival those from Silicon Valley but at a significantly lower cost, investors in China are keenly searching for the next trailblazing startup that could disrupt the global tech landscape.
Some industry experts believe Manus could be that company. A few weeks ago, it became a hot topic on social media platform X by unveiling what it touted as the world’s first general AI agent, which can make independent decisions and perform tasks with far less input needed compared to standard AI chatbots like ChatGPT and DeepSeek.
Beijing appears poised to endorse Manus’ introduction in China, mirroring its supportive approach toward DeepSeek’s achievements. On Thursday, state-affiliated broadcaster CCTV aired coverage of Manus for the first time, releasing a video that compared its AI agent to DeepSeek’s chatbot.
On the same day, the Beijing municipal government reported that a Chinese iteration of a previous Manus offering, an AI assistant named Monica, had successfully completed the registration process mandated for generative AI applications in China, achieving a significant regulatory milestone.
Chinese authorities require that all generative AI applications launched within the country adhere to stringent guidelines aimed at preventing the creation of content that could be deemed sensitive or harmful by the government.
Just last week, Manus announced a strategic collaboration with the team responsible for Alibaba’s Qwen AI models.
This partnership could enhance the domestic launch of Manus’ AI agent, which is currently limited to users with invitation codes and already has a waiting list of two million, as reported by the company.
