While OpenAI and Anthropic, the US-based AI companies, work on their next gen AI tools, there is another Chinese AI system making buzz. This one is called Manus, and just like DeekSeek wowed the world,

Manus AI, a new model from Chinese startup Monica, is making headlines with its groundbreaking capabilities. Launched just days ago,

For business leaders and investors, understanding this AI divide is critical for future-proofing strategies in an increasingly AI-driven world.

When small Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek released a family of extremely efficient and highly competitive AI models last month, it rocked the global tech community. The release revealed China’s growing technological prowess. It also showcased a distinctly Chinese approach to AI advancement.

Weeks after Chinese AI startup DeepSeek caused a whirlwind with its DeepSeek-R1 model, China seems to be bracing for another milestone moment in the AI arms race. Another startup, Monica, has released its artificial intelligence (AI) agent called Manus.

OpenAI banned accounts from China and North Korea for using AI to manipulate social media and conduct surveillance.

Developed by a low-profile team and backed by Chinese investors and developers, Manus is currently available as an invitation-only web preview. A demonstration video on its website, manus.im, showcases its ability to create a custom website through a step-by-step process.

China has also spent years adapting to tariffs from Trump's first term. Some Chinese manufacturers have moved factories out of the country, for instance. And supply chains have come to rely more on Vietnam and Mexico by exporting from there to bypass the tariffs.

China’s field of home-grown AI video-generation models is getting crowded, more than a year after OpenAI’s Sora was launched.

When Bonnie Chan Yiting was in Davos six weeks ago for the World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual confab, the Swiss ski resort was abuzz with a groundbreaking app that a little-known artificial intelligence (AI) start-up had released half a world away in China.