Meta acquires Manus, an advanced AI agent, but the deal faces possible regulatory hurdles due to US China technology tensions

Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc has agreed to acquire Manus, an advanced artificial intelligence agent, raising fresh regulatory concerns.

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Meta and Manus confirmed the agreement on Monday, though they did not disclose financial terms.

Manus was developed by Butterfly Effect, a startup founded in China but now headquartered in Singapore.

The acquisition comes amid intensifying technological rivalry between the United States and China.

Analysts warned the deal could face regulatory scrutiny because of Manus’ Chinese origins.

Meta said the acquisition would expand access to AI agents capable of performing complex autonomous tasks.

The company said the deal would bring the technology to billions of users and businesses across its platforms.

Manus operates beyond traditional chatbots by completing tasks without continuous user input.

The AI agent can summarise job applications and build stock analysis websites, according to its developers.

Manus chief executive Xiao Hong described the deal as a turning point for the company.

Xiao said the partnership would allow Manus to scale its technology globally.

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has intensified investments in artificial intelligence.

The company has spent billions on AI acquisitions, data centres, and specialised engineering talent.

Bloomberg Intelligence analysts said Meta acquires Manus to strengthen its AI agent task capabilities.

They estimated the deal could be worth more than two billion dollars.

The analysts cautioned that regulators may closely examine the transaction.

They cited concerns over data security and geopolitical tensions.

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The deal underscores Meta’s aggressive push to dominate the next phase of artificial intelligence.