Beijing is reportedly boosting domestic AI firms that have received overseas recognition. In its latest, the Chinese artificial intelligence startup Manus was featured for the first time in a state media broadcast. The company has recently registered its China-facing AI assistant.
Manus gained attention in the tech world when it released what it claimed to be the world’s first general AI agent. It stated that it could handle complex tasks with much less prompting compared to chatbots from DeepSeek or ChatGPT.
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Investors are celebrating the company as another breakthrough following the low-cost AI models from DeepSeek. However, its availability remained limited after launch. Users aiming to test Manus were frustrated since the product could only be tested with an invitation-only arrangement. Such was the scarcity that critics accused the Manus team of intentionally deploying scarcity marketing tactics.
“The current invite-only mechanism is due to genuinely limited server capacity at this stage.”
-Manus AI’s product partner Zhang Tao.
Nevertheless, Beijing has been supporting Manus’ rollout within China, much like its stance on DeepSeek’s success. On March 20, State broadcaster CCTV devoted television coverage to Manus for the first time. It published a video on the difference between its AI agent and DeepSeek’s AI chatbot.
The company has also completed the registration for its AI assistant Monica. Registration is required for generative AI apps in China, with Manus clearing an important regulatory hurdle.
All generative AI applications released in China are required to abide by strict rules. These rules exist to ensure that these products do not generate content considered sensitive or damaging by Beijing.
Despite its success, Manus has been publicly questioned for the originality of its technology. This is because the product is based on existing large language models (LLMs), whose details the team did not disclose. This is different from the foundation model innovation from DeepSeek.
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10. Bloom Energy Corporation (NYSE:BE)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 42
Bloom Energy Corporation (NYSE:BE) develops solid-oxide fuel cell systems for on-site power generation, helping meet the growing energy demands of AI data centers. On March 20, Morgan Stanley raised the firm’s price target on the stock to $35 from $28 and kept an “Overweight” rating on the shares. According to the firm, Bloom’s solid oxide fuel technology is going to be a key artificial intelligence enabler.
Anticipating a power grid shortfall of 42 gigawatts by 2028, the firm said that recent management meetings have given it confidence that Bloom’s technology can fill the 42GW power shortfall. Moreover, the firm is also hopeful that the company’s balance sheet, product innovation, and sales efforts investments should help the company realize revenues faster. The firm sees a path to its $60 bull case for the shares.
9. International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 60
International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) is a multinational technology company and a pioneer in artificial intelligence, offering AI consulting services and a suite of AI software products. On March 17, Erste Group analyst Hans Engel upgraded the stock to “Buy” from Hold. According to the analyst, IBM is poised to grow more strongly this year and next year than in the previous year. This growth is driven by the “solid” growth rates of Red Hat software and increasing implementations of AI applications for customers. The analyst further stated that operating profit is expected to grow slightly faster than revenue.
