TLDR: Manus, a Chinese-founded AI startup and challenger to OpenAI, is rolling out a significant upgrade to its main agent platform. This enhancement allows for extensive research by enabling numerous AI agents to work collaboratively on assigned tasks, marking the biggest update since the platform’s launch in March.
Manus, an emerging force in the artificial intelligence landscape, is set to introduce a substantial upgrade to its core agent platform. This development, announced on July 31, 2025, positions the Chinese-founded startup as a formidable competitor to industry leader OpenAI, particularly in the burgeoning field of AI agents. The key feature of this upgrade is the ability to conduct broad research by orchestrating scores of AI agents to work in tandem on specific tasks. This represents the most significant enhancement to Manus’s signature artificial intelligence platform since its initial launch in March.
Tao Zhang, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Manus AI, recently elaborated on the company’s strategy and unique approach. Just 24 hours after OpenAI’s own agent launch, Zhang highlighted what differentiates Manus, emphasizing a core design principle of “less structure, more intelligence.” He explained that Manus is building for general users rather than just developers, choosing a B2C (business-to-consumer) over a B2B (business-to-business) strategy. Zhang also noted that Manus does not build its own foundation models, instead leveraging advanced models from various frontier AI labs, which he believes are becoming commoditized. This allows Manus to focus on application and user experience.
Manus aims to stay ahead by constantly innovating, with Zhang stating, “every time you know when others catch up with us we’re always three months ahead.” The company’s roadmap includes features such as subtasks, virtual devices, and preemptive agents, indicating a continuous push towards more sophisticated and autonomous AI capabilities. Manus’s approach to the future of work involves evolving how tasks are triggered, moving beyond human initiation to include scheduled and automatically split subtasks.
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The competition in the AI agent space is intensifying. OpenAI itself has introduced “OpenAI Operator,” an agent designed for browser automation, capable of navigating websites, filling forms, and completing transactions with high precision. Other major players like Amazon Web Services (AWS) are also making significant investments in AI agents, with AWS CEO Matt Garman betting big on their potential. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, which facilitate connections between AI models, agents, and external tools, are also gaining traction, with Oracle and JFrog joining the MCP ecosystem. This dynamic environment underscores the rapid advancements and strategic positioning occurring within the AI agent sector, where companies like Manus are striving to carve out their niche and lead innovation.
