If you logged into Meta Business Manager recently, you may have noticed something new. A feature labeled "Business AI Beta" has started appearing for select advertisers, and behind it sits technology from one of the most talked-about AI acquisitions of the past year.
Manus AI, the autonomous agent platform that Meta acquired for over $2 billion in late 2025, is now being integrated across Meta's advertising and business tools. The rollout is gradual, but the implications are significant. This is not just another chatbot feature. It represents a fundamental shift in how Meta thinks about AI assistance for businesses.
The integration means advertisers and page managers can now access an AI that does not just answer questions or generate text. It executes tasks. It runs workflows. It completes jobs from start to finish with minimal human intervention. And that changes the game for anyone managing ads, content, or customer communications on Meta's platforms.
But the rollout has also created confusion. How does Manus relate to Meta's existing Llama models? Is this based on DeepSeek technology, as some have speculated? Will it replace the AI features advertisers already use? The answers are more nuanced than the headlines suggest.
What Manus AI Actually Is
To understand what just landed in Business Manager, you need to understand what makes Manus different from the AI tools most marketers have been using.
Manus is an autonomous AI agent. You give it a goal, and it figures out how to accomplish that goal through multiple steps, making decisions along the way. It can browse websites, analyze data, create documents, execute code, and coordinate between different tools without requiring constant human input.
The company describes itself as building "the hands" for AI. Others built the brain, the reasoning and language capabilities. Manus built the execution layer that turns those capabilities into completed work.
Meta paid a reported $2 billion for this technology, roughly four times what Manus was valued at just months earlier. The premium reflected both the strategic importance of autonomous agents and Meta's urgency to compete in what industry observers are calling the "agentic era" of AI.
How It Appears in Business Manager
The integration is rolling out gradually, and access varies by account. Advertisers who have it can find the feature by navigating to Meta Business Suite, then All Tools, then Engage Audience, and looking for Business AI Beta.
The initial functionality focuses on helping businesses handle customer interactions. The AI can respond to comments, initiate conversations in direct messages, and maintain dialogue across Facebook and Instagram. But this is just the beginning of what Meta has planned.
According to official statements, Manus AI is designed to enhance all automatically generated content in Ads Manager. This means the AI-powered features advertisers already use for generating ad variations, creating backgrounds, and writing copy will gain more sophisticated capabilities over time.
The platform can also be used directly as a conversational interface, similar to how you might use ChatGPT or Gemini. You can chat with Manus, give it tasks, and watch it work through complex requests that would previously require multiple tools or significant manual effort.
For marketers managing multiple accounts, content calendars, ad campaigns, and customer messages across Facebook and Instagram, the potential time savings are substantial. An integrated Manus agent could theoretically automate workflows from drafting posts to responding to comments to optimizing ad spend to generating performance reports.
The DeepSeek Connection
Some observers have characterized Manus as essentially "DeepSeek integrated into Meta's ecosystem." This characterization requires clarification.
Manus was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs and maintained operations in China before the acquisition. The technology has roots in the Chinese AI ecosystem, and there are connections to companies like Alibaba. Some of the underlying models Manus uses come from Chinese developers.
However, Manus is not simply a rebranded DeepSeek product. It is a distinct platform with its own architecture, focused specifically on autonomous task execution rather than general-purpose language modeling. The company developed proprietary systems for planning, executing, and verifying multi-step tasks that go beyond what any single model provides.
Meta has stated it will sever Manus's China ties, restricting ownership interests and operations in China and limiting new Manus employees from accessing prior customer data. This separation reflects both regulatory considerations and the geopolitical sensitivities around Chinese AI technology in American markets.
The technology itself remains valuable regardless of its origins. What matters for marketers is whether it works, and early indications suggest the execution capabilities are genuine.
What This Means for Advertising
For advertisers specifically, the Manus integration points toward a future where campaign management becomes increasingly automated.
Meta has already been moving in this direction with Advantage+ campaigns, which automate targeting, placement, and creative optimization. The company reports that Advantage+ delivers approximately 22% higher return on ad spend compared to manually managed campaigns. More than 4 million advertisers now use Meta's generative AI tools.
Manus adds another layer to this automation. Rather than just optimizing within predefined parameters, an autonomous agent can handle end-to-end workflows. Imagine describing your marketing objective in plain language and having an AI create the campaign, generate creative variations, set up tracking, monitor performance, and make adjustments without constant human oversight.
The near-term applications are more modest but still valuable. The AI can help with tasks like analyzing competitor content, researching target audiences, generating ad copy variations, creating visual assets, and assembling performance reports. Each of these tasks currently requires human attention. Automating them frees marketers to focus on strategy and creative direction.
Practical Applications for Page Managers
Beyond advertising, Manus integration affects anyone managing Facebook or Instagram pages for business purposes.
- Customer communication is an obvious application. The AI can handle initial responses to comments and messages, qualifying inquiries and routing them appropriately. For businesses receiving high volumes of customer contact, this provides scalable first-line support.
- Content planning becomes more automated as well. Manus can research trending topics in your industry, analyze what competitors are posting, suggest content themes, and even draft posts for review. The "Design View" feature that Manus launched before the acquisition allows generating and editing imagery through natural language prompts, which translates directly to social media content creation.
- Scheduling and posting can be coordinated across multiple platforms. Rather than manually planning when and where to post, you can describe your content goals and let the AI develop a posting schedule optimized for engagement.
- Analytics interpretation is another area where autonomous agents excel. Instead of pulling reports and analyzing them yourself, you can ask the AI to identify trends, flag anomalies, and recommend actions based on performance data.
The key shift is from using AI as a tool that requires direction at each step to using AI as an assistant that can be given objectives and trusted to figure out the details.
Limitations and Concerns
- Data privacy is the most significant issue. Manus processes large amounts of data to execute tasks. That data now flows through Meta's infrastructure. For businesses with sensitive information or strict compliance requirements, understanding what data the AI accesses and how it is handled becomes critical.
- The acquisition also shifted data concerns from a Chinese-founded startup to one of the world's largest advertising data companies. Different users will have different reactions to that tradeoff. Enterprise customers reportedly left Manus after the acquisition news specifically because of concerns about their data flowing to Meta.
- Reliability remains a work in progress. User experiences with Manus have varied widely. The technology shows impressive capabilities in demos but can struggle with edge cases and complex real-world scenarios. Early adopters have reported that the platform sometimes requires very specific instructions to perform well, and credit consumption can be unpredictable.
- Over-automation poses its own risks. Letting AI handle customer communications, ad spending, and content publication without adequate human oversight can lead to embarrassing mistakes or misallocated resources. Meta's own guidance emphasizes that humans should maintain final decision authority.
- The subscription costs may also give some businesses pause. Manus's pricing involves credits that get consumed as tasks are executed, and the cost structure can be difficult to predict for intensive usage. Businesses need to evaluate return on investment carefully.
Getting Started
For marketers wanting to explore the Manus integration, here is a practical starting point.
First, check whether you have access. Navigate to Meta Business Suite, then All Tools, then Engage Audience, and look for Business AI Beta. Access is rolling out gradually, so not all accounts have it yet.
If you do have access, start with low-risk tasks. Use the AI to help with comment responses or message handling before trusting it with ad spending or content publication. This allows you to calibrate expectations and understand how the system performs in your specific context.
Document what works and what does not. The technology is evolving rapidly, and your feedback can help shape how Meta develops the integration. Use the thumbs up and thumbs down indicators to signal which AI behaviors are helpful.
Set clear boundaries for automation. Decide in advance what decisions require human approval and configure your workflows accordingly. The goal is to benefit from AI efficiency without losing control over important business functions.
Stay informed about updates. Meta will likely expand Manus capabilities throughout 2026, and understanding new features as they launch helps you stay competitive.
Wrap up
The Manus AI integration into Meta Business Manager represents a significant shift in what AI can do for marketers. This is not just a smarter chatbot or a better content generator. It is an execution layer that can complete complex, multi-step tasks with genuine autonomy.
Whether this transforms your marketing operations depends on your specific situation. Businesses heavily invested in Meta's ecosystem stand to benefit most from native integration. Those with significant concerns about data privacy or those using competing platforms may find more value elsewhere.
What is clear is that the "agentic era" of AI has arrived for social media marketing. The companies that learn to work effectively with autonomous agents will operate at a different level of efficiency than those that do not.
Meta's $2 billion bet on Manus signals where the industry is heading. The question for marketers is not whether to engage with this technology but how to do so thoughtfully, capturing the benefits while managing the risks.
FAQ
What is Manus AI in Meta Business Manager?
Manus AI is an autonomous agent platform that Meta acquired for over $2 billion and is now integrating into Business Manager and other Meta products. Unlike traditional AI assistants that only respond to prompts, Manus can execute complex multi-step tasks autonomously, handling workflows from start to finish with minimal human intervention.
Does Manus AI replace Meta's Llama models?
No. Llama and Manus serve different purposes and will coexist. Llama provides the foundational language model capabilities, the intelligence and reasoning. Manus provides the execution layer that turns those capabilities into completed tasks. Think of Llama as the brain and Manus as the hands working together.
Is Manus AI the same as DeepSeek?
No. While Manus was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs and has connections to the Chinese AI ecosystem, it is a distinct platform focused on autonomous task execution. Manus uses multiple AI models under the hood, including Claude for coding and Qwen models for reasoning, but it is not simply rebranded DeepSeek technology.
How do I access Manus AI in Business Manager?
Navigate to Meta Business Suite, then All Tools, then Engage Audience, and look for Business AI Beta. Access is rolling out gradually, so not all accounts have it yet. Meta is expanding availability throughout 2026.
What can Manus AI do for advertisers?
Manus AI is designed to enhance automatically generated content in Ads Manager and can help with tasks like generating ad copy variations, creating visual assets, analyzing competitors, researching audiences, and assembling performance reports. The goal is end-to-end campaign automation where you describe objectives and the AI handles execution.
Can I use Manus AI as a chatbot like ChatGPT?
Yes. The platform can be used directly as a conversational interface similar to ChatGPT or Gemini. You can chat with Manus, give it tasks, and watch it work through complex requests. The difference is that Manus is designed to execute tasks, not just answer questions.
What are the data privacy concerns with Manus AI?
Manus processes significant amounts of data to execute tasks, and that data now flows through Meta's infrastructure. Businesses with sensitive information or strict compliance requirements should understand what data the AI accesses and how it is handled. Some enterprise customers left Manus after the Meta acquisition due to data concerns.
How much does Manus AI cost?
Manus uses a subscription model with credits that get consumed as tasks are executed. Pricing can reach up to $200 per month for high-tier usage, and costs can be difficult to predict for intensive use. Businesses should evaluate ROI carefully based on their specific workflow needs.
Will Manus AI work with WhatsApp Business?
Yes. Meta plans to integrate Manus across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. For WhatsApp Business specifically, Manus could potentially handle customer inquiries, process orders, manage inventory, create marketing content, and analyze business performance autonomously.
Is Manus AI available outside the United States?
Manus continues operating as a standalone subscription service at manus.im globally, though it is no longer available in China following the Meta acquisition. The Business Manager integration is rolling out gradually and availability may vary by region. Check Meta's official announcements for specific country availability.
Related Articles
Dani
Mark
Mark
