OpenAI's Expensive Specialized AI Agents and China's Autonomous Manus Shake Up Tech World

OpenAI is planning to introduce specialized AI agents for various high-end applications, with prices ranging up to $20,000 per month for PhD-level research assistance. Other planned agents include a software developer AI priced at $10,000 monthly and a high-income knowledge worker assistant at $2,000 per month. These steep costs suggest the primary target might be large enterprises, though it remains uncertain when these agents will be launched or whether there will be public interest in more affordable versions. The pricing and potential exclusivity hint that business deals might ultimately reduce costs for enterprise users.

On March 6, software engineers in Shenzhen launched Manus, an AI system that operates autonomously, marking China's "Second DeepSeek Moment" after the development of DeepSeek. Unlike AI systems requiring human input, Manus independently handles tasks like analyzing financial transactions and screening job candidates, functioning as an invisible worker with a multi-agent architecture. This development shifts AI's role from assistant to decision-maker, posing challenges to human job roles and giving China an edge in AI-driven industries. The emergence of Manus has sparked concerns over accountability, regulation, and workforce disruption, as it forces global industries to rethink AI governance and the future of work.

The article discusses the underperformance of IT stocks over the past few years, highlighting that many investors have mistakenly assumed past growth rates to continue, leading to losses when stocks were overvalued. The Nifty 50 showed resilience, but the Nifty IT index and individual IT stocks like Happiest Minds Technologies and LTIMindtree saw significant declines. The article emphasizes the importance of evaluating stocks using PE and EV/FCF multiples, historical growth rates, and global economic conditions. Despite the AI-driven rebound in 2023-2024, the IT sector's growth remains unexciting due to low reinvestment in R&D. Smaller players like Coforge and Persistent Systems are growing faster, while larger firms face uncertain global economic conditions. The piece advises caution, noting that IT stocks are unlikely to see significant valuation increases soon and suggests TCS might become attractive if further corrections occur.