AI agents are transforming the digital landscape in China and the broader Asia-Pacific region, with tools like Manus drawing significant attention. These agentic AI systems can execute complex tasks independently, and their emergence signals a shift toward a more autonomous future. As adoption accelerates and regional investment surges, Asia-Pacific is quickly becoming a key battleground in the global AI race.

AI agents like Manus are creating a stir in China and the wider Asia-Pacific region

Agentic AI refers to AI systems that take initiative, make decisions, and pursue goals on their own. Instead of just following commands, they can plan, adapt, and execute multistep tasks within set boundaries.

One example of the technology that’s making waves in Asia-Pacific is Manus, an agentic AI tool, developed by a China-based company, that is currently under closed beta testing. But Manus has already captured the public’s imagination—not just within China, but globally.

First introduced in early March 2025, Manus was developed by China-based startup Monica. The tool uses a combination of existing and fine-tuned AI models, including Anthropic’s Claude and Alibaba’s Qwen, to perform tasks. In a YouTube demo, Manus sorted resumes, built a website based on its analysis of correlations between stocks, and searched through New York real estate based on factors like nearby schools and affordability.

OpenAI’s AI agent Operator can take actions autonomously, working through the user’s browser and opting to request guidance from users to fulfill tasks. In contrast, Manus makes decisions and executes tasks with less prompting. It works in a virtual compute environment in the cloud. That allows users to shut down their computer after setting a goal while Manus continues its work in the background, then notifies them when it’s done.

AI experts in Asia-Pacific expect AI agents to disrupt their businesses soon

Technologies like Manus are already exerting their influence in the region. The majority of AI decision-makers in Asia-Pacific believed that AI agents will have a significant to moderate disruption on their organization in the near term, according to a February 2025 International Data Corporation (IDC) survey.