You’ve heard of AI ‘Deep Research’ tools…now Manus is launching ‘Wide Research’ that spins up 100+ agents to scour the web for you

Manus, a Chinese AI startup that has garnered attention for its innovative multi-agent orchestration platform, is making waves once again with the launch of a new feature called "Wide Research." This groundbreaking tool aims to revolutionize how users conduct large-scale web research by utilizing over 100 AI agents simultaneously to tackle complex tasks. Unlike competitors such as OpenAI and Google, which focus on detailed, in-depth reports through their "Deep Research" agents, Manus takes a different approach. The recently announced Wide Research allows users to execute numerous high-volume tasks at once, enabling each agent to focus on specific aspects of a broader objective. This feature has the potential to significantly enhance productivity, especially for professionals. In a demonstration shared on the official X account, Manus co-founder and Chief Scientist Yichao ‘Peak’ Ji showcased the capabilities of Wide Research by comparing 100 sneaker models. By deploying 100 concurrent subagents, each assigned to analyze different shoes' designs, pricing, and availability, the platform delivered a comprehensive, sortable matrix in mere minutes. But Wide Research is not limited to data analysis. It also supports creative tasks, such as generating diverse poster designs across 50 different visual styles. Users can download the polished assets in a convenient ZIP file, showcasing the system's versatility. This flexibility is attributed to Manus's unique approach to parallel processing and agent communication. Peak emphasized that Wide Research represents the first application of an optimized architecture capable of scaling computational power by a hundredfold compared to earlier offerings. This feature activates automatically for tasks that demand extensive analysis, streamlining the user experience without the need for manual adjustments. Starting today, Wide Research is available for users on the Manus Pro plan, with plans for gradual rollout to Plus and Basic plan subscribers. Manus's pricing structure is designed to accommodate various budgets, including an annual discount for upfront payments. Earlier this year, Manus positioned itself not just as an AI agent provider but as a personal cloud computing platform. Each session operates on dedicated virtual machines, facilitating orchestrated cloud computing through natural language, which Manus believes is essential for developing general-purpose AI workflows. The introduction of Wide Research allows users to delegate tasks across numerous fully capable agents, contrasting with traditional systems that assign predefined roles. This architectural choice promotes flexible, scalable task management without the constraints of rigid templates, promising a more dynamic set of outputs beyond standard research reports. However, while Manus touts Wide Research as a significant advancement, it has yet to provide concrete evidence demonstrating the superiority of this approach compared to using a single high-capacity agent for sequential tasks. There are no performance benchmarks or detailed insights into the coordination and collaboration of subagents, leaving some questions about the practicality of this innovative model. Despite the challenges observed in similar multi-agent frameworks, Manus is aware that Wide Research remains an experimental feature that may have limitations. As it continues to refine this technology, the company is committed to transforming user interactions with AI on a larger scale. With the industry watching closely, it remains to be seen if Manus can effectively address the complexities of multi-agent coordination and deliver on the promise of seamless AI collaboration.