China’s Manus AI Partners with Alibaba’s Qwen to Scale AI Agent

Chinese AI start-up Manus AI has announced a strategic partnership with Alibaba’s Qwen AI team, strengthening its efforts to scale its general AI agent—technology designed to function as a digital employee capable of independently executing tasks.

The collaboration, revealed last Tuesday, is poised to bolster Manus AI’s expansion and enhance the stability of its platform amid surging user demand. Unlike standard chatbots, Manus AI's general agent is built to operate autonomously with minimal user input.

Viral Launch and Rising Competition

Manus AI, headquartered in Beijing and Wuhan under Beijing Butterfly Effect Technology Ltd, made headlines earlier this month when it claimed its AI agent outperformed OpenAI’s DeepResearch agent. The launch quickly went viral across Chinese social media platforms, drawing comparisons to DeepSeek—a Hangzhou-based AI developer that previously captured global attention by introducing a chatbot rivaling OpenAI’s offerings at significantly lower costs.

Following its viral debut, Manus AI began offering free task completions to users on X (formerly Twitter), gaining traction but also facing technical issues. The platform remains invitation-only, with Manus acknowledging website malfunctions due to increased traffic.

Partnership Details and Strategic Goals

The partnership with Alibaba’s Qwen team is expected to address these scalability challenges. The collaboration will focus on integrating Manus AI’s agent functions with Qwen’s open-source AI models and China's computing platforms, enabling both companies to compete more aggressively in the fast-moving AI landscape.

A spokesperson for Alibaba confirmed the partnership, stating: "We look forward to collaborating with more global AI innovators."

Qwen’s team has remained a key player in China’s AI race, notably responding to DeepSeek’s rapid rise earlier this year by releasing a model they claimed surpassed DeepSeek-V3.

Looking Ahead: Intensifying AI Competition in China’s Tech Landscape

The partnership between Manus AI and Alibaba’s Qwen team signals a new phase in China's rapidly evolving AI sector. As AI agents transition from experimental technology to deployable digital employees, collaborations like this reflect a broader industry push to integrate powerful AI models with real-world applications at scale.

Manus AI’s bold claims of outperforming OpenAI’s agents—and its viral reception—underscore the growing momentum of Chinese AI developers challenging global incumbents. The alliance with Alibaba not only strengthens Manus’ technical capabilities but also positions both companies to compete more aggressively against rising domestic rivals like DeepSeek.

As the demand for advanced, autonomous AI agents accelerates, partnerships combining model innovation, infrastructure, and scalability will likely define the next chapter in the global AI race. All eyes will be on how quickly Manus AI and Qwen can translate their collaboration into tangible market impact.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.