Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai

Chennai, Dec 30: Social media giant Meta Platforms on Tuesday announced the acquisition of Manus, a Singapore-based developer of general-purpose artificial intelligence agents, marking a significant step in the company’s aggressive push to scale up its AI capabilities amid intensifying global competition.

While Meta did not disclose the financial details of the deal, the acquisition is seen as a strategic move to strengthen its in-house expertise in autonomous AI systems capable of reasoning, planning and executing complex tasks across multiple applications.

Manus is known for developing AI agents that go beyond narrow, task-specific functions, focusing instead on general-purpose intelligence that can operate across varied environments. These capabilities are expected to play a key role in both enterprise solutions and consumer-facing products.

The acquisition comes at a time when Meta is sharply increasing its investments in artificial intelligence across its platforms, including social media, digital advertising, virtual reality and next-generation computing technologies. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has consistently positioned AI as a cornerstone of the company’s long-term growth strategy, backed by heavy spending on large language models, data centres and custom AI chips.

Following the deal, Manus’s technology and engineering talent are expected to be integrated into Meta’s AI research and product teams, potentially enhancing offerings such as AI assistants, developer tools and business automation solutions.

Industry observers note that the move reflects a wider trend of major technology firms acquiring specialised AI startups to accelerate innovation and secure scarce talent in a highly competitive landscape.

Meta said the acquisition aligns with its vision of building more advanced, useful and responsible AI systems, adding that more details on the integration of Manus’s technology into its product ecosystem will be shared in the coming months.