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Manus , the viral AI “ agent ” chopine from Chinese startup Butterfly Effect , has had an unintended side outcome : raising the profile of another AI shaft called internet browser Use .
browser app Use , which take aim to make websites more approachable for agentic applications that perform tasks on a user ’s behalf , has have explosive growth in the retiring week . Daily downloads more than quintupled from around 5,000 on March 3 to 28,000 on March 10 , co - creator Gregor Zunic recite TechCrunch .
“ The past few day have been really wild , ” Zunic enjoin via DM . “ We are the biggest trending repository [ on GitHub ] , got loads of downloads [ and ] all that in reality converts to big usage numbers . ”
Why the uptick?A post about how Manus leverages browser app Usegarnered over 2.4 gazillion view and hundreds of reshares on X. browser app Use isone of the componentsManus use to execute various tasks , like click through site computer menu and filling out forms .
Zunic launched the eponymous companionship behind browser app Use with Magnus Müller last year out of ETH Zurich ’s Student Project House accelerator pedal . The twosome recollect web agents — agents that voyage websites and web apps autonomously — were going to be the “ openhanded affair ” in 2025 .
“ What protrude as casual brainstorming over a few lunches turn into a challenge : rent ’s build something little , throw it on Hacker News , and see what happens , ” Zunic said . “ We put together an MVP in four days , launched it , and boom — number one . From there , it ’s been an right-down Eruca vesicaria sativa . ”
Brower Use extracts a site ’s component — button , widgets , and so on — to allow AI simulation to more easily interact with them . The cock can manage multiple browser app tab key , correct up action like saving single file and do database operations , and handle mouse and keyboard stimulant .
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browser app Usethe companycharges for supervise plan , but also extend a devoid , self - hosted version of its package . That ’s the version that ’s mess up up in the days since Manus ’ launching .
Zunic says he and Magnus are trying to “ sell a shovel ” to developers chase after after the gold rush of web agents .
“ We want to make a foundation layer that everyone will work up web browser app agents on , ” Zunic enunciate . “ In our mind , there will be more agents on the web than humans by the end of the year . ”
That might sound overly bullish , but several analysts predict that the broader market for AI agents will indeed raise tremendously in the month to hail . Accordingto Research and Markets , the sector will extend to $ 42 billion in 2029 . Deloitteanticipatesthat half of companies using AI will deploy AI factor by 2027 .
Manus effect aside , browser app Use ’s timing appears to have been causeless .
Updated 12:45 p.m. Pacific : An earlier translation of this story incorrectly referred to “ internet browser Use ” as “ internet browser User ” in the newspaper headline . We regret the error .
