Dec 29 (Reuters) – Meta (META) said on Monday it would acquire Chinese artificial intelligence startup Manus, as the tech giant accelerates its efforts to integrate advanced artificial intelligence on its platform.
In order to cope with fierce industry competition, technology giants such as Meta have been increasing investment in artificial intelligence through strategic acquisitions and talent recruitment. Earlier this year, the Facebook owner invested in Scale AI in a deal that valued the data labeling startup at $29 billion and brought in 28-year-old CEO Alexandr Wang.
Financial terms of the deal with Manus have not been disclosed.
Singapore-based Manus makes general artificial intelligence agents that can run as digital workers, independently performing tasks such as research and automation with minimal prompting.
Meta will operate and sell Manus services and integrate them into its consumer and commercial products, including Meta AI, the company said.
Earlier this year, Manus launched its AI agent, claiming it outperformed OpenAI’s AI agent DeepResearch.
The company, part of Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology Co., markets its products by completing dozens of tasks for users on X for free.
(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
