August 4, 2025
5 min read
The Indian Express
Manus launches Wide Research, a multi-agent AI tool enabling deep, large-scale research, rivaling OpenAI’s and Google’s AI research tools.
What is Wide Research, Manus’ new multi-agent AI tool to take on OpenAI and Google?
Manus, an AI startup with roots in China, has introduced Wide Research, a groundbreaking feature that leverages multiple AI agents to handle complex, large-scale research tasks involving hundreds of items simultaneously. Wide Research aims to simplify deep, high-volume research, marking Manus’ most significant launch since its debut earlier this year. Positioned as a more advanced alternative to research-focused AI tools like OpenAI’s Deep Research and Google’s Deep Think, Wide Research also follows shortly after OpenAI’s ChatGPT Agent release.“With the launch of Wide Research, Manus unlocks a powerful new way for users to tackle complex, large-scale tasks that require information on hundreds of items,” Manus said in its announcement. “Wide Research marks a milestone in our exploration of the scaling laws of AI agents, but it’s just the beginning. The infrastructure behind it is part of something much bigger we’re building.”
Under the hood
Wide Research is built on Manus’ large-scale virtualization infrastructure and an efficient agent architecture developed after months of optimization. At its core, it is a system-level mechanism for parallel processing and a protocol for agent-to-agent collaboration. Unlike other multi-agent AI systems, Wide Research uses general-purpose AI agents rather than specialized ones, allowing for greater flexibility. Tasks are not limited to rigid formats or predefined domains, making the system adaptable to a wide variety of research needs.How to use Wide Research
In a demonstration video shared by Manus co-founder Peak Ji, Wide Research was shown conducting simultaneous research on 100 different sneaker models and creating 50 poster designs within minutes. Users can perform extensive research tasks such as exploring Fortune 500 companies, comparing top MBA programs, or investigating generative AI tools. However, Manus notes that Wide Research is still experimental and may have some limitations.Other tools by Manus
Earlier this year, Manus launched a general-purpose AI agent capable of autonomously completing web-based tasks like creating trip itineraries from simple prompts. In June, the company released its own AI video generator. Manus’ AI features are powered by large language models such as Anthropic’s Claude. Each Manus session runs on a dedicated cloud-based virtual machine, enabling users to orchestrate complex cloud workloads through conversational interaction with an AI agent. This Turing-complete virtual machine allows Manus to offer broad generality and creative possibilities, from generating personalized rental presentations to securely evaluating open-source projects in sandboxed environments.Company background and funding
Manus recently relocated operations from China to Singapore, Tokyo, and San Mateo, California. Currently, its AI products are not available in China. The startup raised $75 million in a funding round led by US venture firm Benchmark, with early investors including Tencent, HSG (formerly Sequoia China), and ZhenFund.Source: The Indian Express (August 3, 2025)