Facebook parent company Meta has disclosed plans to acquire Manus, an artificial intelligence agent developed by a firm originally founded in China but now operating out of Singapore, according to statements from both companies.
Analysts caution that the acquisition could attract regulatory scrutiny due to growing technological tensions between the US and China.
AI agents, which go beyond the functionality of chatbots like ChatGPT, can autonomously carry out complex tasks for users and are considered to hold immense potential.
Manus, developed by the startup Butterfly Effect, can, for example, analyse and summarise resumes or create stock analysis websites, according to the company’s website.
Meta stated on Monday that the deal - financial terms undisclosed - will "bring a leading agent to billions of people and create new opportunities for businesses across our products."
“The era of AI that doesn’t just talk, but acts, creates, and delivers, is only beginning,” said Manus CEO Xiao Hong on X. “With Meta, we now have the chance to build at a scale we never imagined.”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been aggressively investing in AI, spending billions on acquisitions, hiring engineers, and expanding data centre infrastructure.
Bloomberg Intelligence analysts suggest the acquisition is aimed at strengthening Meta’s AI agent capabilities and could be valued at over $2 billion. However, they added that “regulators may scrutinize the deal since Manus, though based in Singapore, was originally founded in China.”
