Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is significantly enhancing its artificial intelligence capabilities through the acquisition of the AI startup Manus. This move underscores Meta's aggressive strategy to integrate AI offerings across its various platforms. While financial specifics of the deal were not disclosed by Meta, The Wall Street Journal reported the acquisition was valued at over $2 billion.

Manus, a Singapore-based platform with original roots in China, launched its initial “general-purpose” AI agent earlier this year. This platform provides paid subscriptions, allowing customers to leverage its technology for diverse tasks such as research and coding. Meta announced on Monday that Manus is already catering to the daily requirements of millions of users and businesses globally, and the tech giant plans to scale this service. Manus will be instrumental in delivering general-purpose agents across Meta’s consumer and business products, including the company's own Meta AI initiative.

Xiao Hong, CEO of Manus, commented that joining Meta will provide the platform with a more robust and sustainable foundation, without altering its operational methods or decision-making processes. Manus has confirmed it will continue to operate and sell subscriptions via its dedicated app and website. The platform has experienced rapid growth over the past year, recently announcing it had surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue just eight months post-launch.

Initial financial backers of Manus reportedly included China’s Tencent Holdings, ZhenFund, and HSG. The company that initially launched the platform, Butterfly Effect, also known as monica.im, was founded in China before relocating to Singapore. A Meta spokesperson clarified on Tuesday that following the acquisition, there would be no ongoing Chinese ownership interests in Manus AI, and the platform would cease its services and operations within China. Manus affirmed its continued operation in Singapore, where the majority of its employees are based.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is actively driving efforts to revitalize the company’s commercial AI ventures, facing stiff competition from industry leaders such as Google and OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. In June, Meta made a substantial $14.3 billion investment in AI data company Scale and brought its CEO, Alexandr Wang, onboard to co-lead a team focused on developing “superintelligence” for the tech behemoth.