The Manus logo is displayed on a smartphone screen, with the Meta logo visible in the background.
Cheng Xin | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Artificial intelligence start-up Manus, recently acquired by Meta, launched a new desktop application Monday that brings its AI agent directly onto personal laptops.
The company’s general agent — which can execute complex, multi-step tasks — previously operated exclusively in the cloud, and was typically accessed through a web interface.
However, through the new Manus Desktop application, a feature called ‘My Computer’ lets its agents work directly with local files, tools and applications on a user’s device.
The expanded offering aligns Meta and Manus’s agents more closely with OpenClaw, an open-sourced AI agent that is also downloaded onto users’ local devices.
OpenClaw was founded by Austrian software developer Peter Steinberger late last year, and its popularity has helped spark an AI agent frenzy. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang described OpenClaw as the “next ChatGPT’ in an interview with Jim Cramer on CNBC’s “Mad Money” Tuesday.
Steinberger has also been hired by ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which represents one of Meta’s main AI competitors.
Unlike OpenClaw, which is free and open-sourced under an MIT license, Manus is primarily a paid subscription service.
According to Manus, its My Computer offering allows its agent to read, analyze, edit files, and launch or control applications on the machine.
For example, the company said that users can instruct Manus to organize thousands of internal images on their hard drive. Beyond file management, My Computer is also compatible with coding applications and can create an app within minutes, it said.
Those capabilities will be added to existing Manus capabilities, which include integration with services such as Google Calendar, Gmail, and various third-party platforms.
While such capabilities offer much promise, experts have also flagged potential security and privacy issues with granting AI agents, such as those from OpenClaw, access to local devices.
In its post, Manus said that My Computer will keep users “firmly in control,” by requiring explicit approval before executing tasks. These options include “Allow Once” for individual review or “Always Allow” for trusted, recurring actions, it said.
Meta announced on Dec. 29, 2025 that it would acquire AI startup Manus, aiming to expand its AI capabilities and integrate Manus’s autonomous agent technology into products across its platforms, including the Meta AI assistant.
Manus was founded in China before moving its headquarters to Singapore. Chinese officials have reportedly been scrutinizing the $2 billion acquisition for potential violations of technology controls.