Bobby Allen

Manus is based in Singapore but has Chinese founders.

It became a hot startup after a demo last spring showed how its AI agent can analyze stock portfolios, book vacations, and screen job candidates.

Meta says it plans to integrate Manus' services across all of its social media products like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

It's a latest sign that the battle over the next phase of the AI race is focused on AI agents.

They are AI tools that can perform real-world tasks and serve as a kind of automated personal assistant with little or no human guidance.

Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Palantir and others are all rushing to develop cutting-edge AI agents.

A Meta spokesperson says once the deal is complete, Manus' services and operations will be shut down in China.

Bobby Allen, NPR News.

While the AI data center boom has been a gold rush for the construction industry, it has many financial analysts worried.

A recent note from Deutsche Bank analysts said if not for AI data center spending, the U.S.

would be close to a recession.

And big tech spenders like Meta, Google and Oracle, which the industry calls hyperscalers, keep pouring money in.

More than a trillion dollars is expected to be spent on this infrastructure for more computing power in the coming years, but the arrangements are raising red flags.

For instance, more than $100 billion worth of data center deals are being done through special purpose vehicles, which keeps the spending off tech companies' balance sheets.

The same mechanism was used in the lead-up to the dot-com bubble.

Bobby Allen, NPR News.

While the AI data center boom has been a gold rush for the construction industry, it has many financial analysts worried.

A recent note from Deutsche Bank analysts said if not for AI data center spending, the U.S.

would be close to a recession.

And big tech spenders like Meta, Google, and Oracle, which the industry calls hyperscalers, keep pouring money in.