Meta buys Chinese-founded AI start-up Manus
"Manus's exceptional talent will join Meta's team to deliver general-purpose agents across our consumer and business products, including Meta AI," it said in a blog post.
Meta said the deal would help improve its own AI by giving people access to "agents" - tools which can do complex things with minimal user interaction such as planning trips or making presentations.
Bloomberg analysts and The Wall Street Journal suggested the purchase could be worth more than $2bn (£1.48bn).
Meta says it is acquiring the Chinese-founded AI firm Manus as it looks to boost the capabilities of its tech.
Barton Crockett, analyst at Rosenblatt Securities, told Reuters it was a "natural fit" for Meta, which extended into boss Mark Zuckerberg's "vision of personal AI" using agents.
Based in Singapore after relocating from China, Manus has sought to set itself apart from rival AI developers with what it claims can be a "truly autonomous" agent.
Unlike many chatbots which need to be repeatedly asked for things before a user can get their desired response, Manus says its service can plan, execute and complete tasks independently in accordance with instructions.
It forms part of the company's mission to "extend human reach" with general-purpose agents that can aid, rather than replace, human work.
The company said its acquisition by Meta was "validation" of its efforts.
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