Introduction to AI Competition
In the case of Manus, the competition is moving fast. Two of the most buzzy follow-ups, Genspark and Flowith, for example, are already boasting benchmark scores that match or edge past Manus’s.
What are Genspark and Flowith?
Genspark, led by former Baidu executives Eric Jing and Kay Zhu, links many small “super agents” through what it calls multi-component prompting. The agent can switch among several large language models, accepts both images and text, and carries out tasks from making slide decks to placing phone calls. Whereas Manus relies heavily on Browser Use, a popular open-source product that lets agents operate a web browser in a virtual window like a human, Genspark directly integrates with a wide array of tools and APIs. Launched in April, the company says that it already has over 5 million users and over $36 million in yearly revenue.
Flowith, the work of a young team that first grabbed public attention in April 2025 at a developer event hosted by the popular social media app Xiaohongshu, takes a different tack. Marketed as an “infinite agent,” it opens on a blank canvas where each question becomes a node on a branching map. Users can backtrack, take new branches, and store results in personal or sharable “knowledge gardens”—a design that feels more like project management software (think Notion) than a typical chat interface. Every inquiry or task builds its own mind-map-like graph, encouraging a more nonlinear and creative interaction with AI. Flowith’s core agent, NEO, runs in the cloud and can perform scheduled tasks like sending emails and compiling files. The founders want the app to be a “knowledge marketbase”, and aims to tap into the social aspect of AI with the aspiration of becoming “the OnlyFans of AI knowledge creators”.
Global Ambition
What they also share with Manus is the global ambition. Both Genspark and Flowith have stated that their primary focus is the international market.
A Global Address
Startups like Manus, Genspark, and Flowith—though founded by Chinese entrepreneurs—could blend seamlessly into the global tech scene and compete effectively abroad. Founders, investors, and analysts that MIT Technology Review has spoken to believe Chinese companies are moving fast, executing well, and quickly coming up with new products.
Money reinforces the pull to launch overseas. Customers there pay more, and there are plenty to go around. “You can price in USD, and with the exchange rate that’s a sevenfold multiplier,” Manus cofounder Xiao Hong quipped on a podcast. “Even if we’re only operating at 10% power because of cultural differences overseas, we’ll still make more than in China.”
But creating the same functionality in China is a challenge. Major US AI companies including OpenAI and Anthropic have opted out of mainland China because of geopolitical risks and challenges with regulatory compliance. Their absence initially created a black market as users resorted to VPNs and third-party mirrors to access tools like ChatGPT and Claude. That vacuum has since been filled by a new wave of Chinese chatbots—DeepSeek, Doubao, Kimi—but the appetite for foreign models hasn’t gone away.
Manus, for example, uses Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet—widely considered the top model for agentic tasks. Manus cofounder Zhang Tao has repeatedly praised Claude’s ability to juggle tools, remember contexts, and hold multi-round conversations—all crucial for turning chatty software into an effective executive assistant.
Conclusion
The AI competition is heating up, with companies like Genspark and Flowith emerging as strong contenders. Their global ambition and ability to blend into the international tech scene make them a force to be reckoned with. As the market continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how these companies navigate the challenges of regulatory compliance and cultural differences.
FAQs
Q: What is Genspark?
A: Genspark is an AI company that links many small “super agents” through multi-component prompting, allowing it to switch among several large language models and carry out tasks from making slide decks to placing phone calls.
Q: What is Flowith?
A: Flowith is an AI company that markets itself as an “infinite agent”, allowing users to interact with AI in a nonlinear and creative way through a blank canvas and branching map.
Q: Why are Chinese AI companies focusing on the international market?
A: Chinese AI companies are focusing on the international market because customers there pay more, and there are plenty to go around, allowing them to make more money even with cultural differences.
Q: What is the challenge of creating AI functionality in China?
A: The challenge of creating AI functionality in China is due to geopolitical risks and challenges with regulatory compliance, which has led to a black market and the emergence of new Chinese chatbots.
