\n<\/p>\n
Manus<\/a>, the viral AI \u201cagent\u201d platform from Chinese startup Butterfly Effect, has had an unintended side effect: raising the profile of another AI tool called Browser Use.<\/p>\n Browser Use<\/a>, which aims to make websites more accessible for agentic applications that perform tasks on a user\u2019s behalf, has experienced explosive growth in the past week. Daily downloads more than quintupled from around 5,000 on March 3 to 28,000 on March 10, co-creator Gregor Zunic told TechCrunch.<\/p>\n \u201cThe past few days have been really wild,\u201d Zunic said via DM. \u201cWe are the biggest trending repository [on GitHub], got loads of downloads [and] all that actually converts to big usage numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n Why the uptick? A post about how Manus leverages Browser Use<\/a> garnered over 2.4 millions views and hundreds of reshares on X. Browser Use is one of the components<\/a> Manus employs to execute various tasks, like clicking through site menus and filling out forms.<\/p>\n Zunic launched the eponymous company behind Browser Use with Magnus M\u00fcller last year out of ETH Zurich\u2019s Student Project House accelerator. The pair thought web agents \u2014 agents that navigate websites and web apps autonomously \u2014 were going to be the \u201cbig thing\u201d in 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat started as casual brainstorming over a few lunches turned into a challenge: Let\u2019s build something small, throw it on Hacker News, and see what happens,\u201d Zunic said. \u201cWe put together an MVP in four days, launched it, and boom \u2014 number one. From there, it\u2019s been an absolute rocket.\u201d<\/p>\n Brower Use extracts a website\u2019s elements \u2014 buttons, widgets, and so on \u2014 to allow AI models to more easily interact with them. The tool can manage multiple browser tabs, set up actions like saving files and performing database operations, and handle mouse and keyboard inputs. <\/p>\n Browser Use the company<\/em> charges for managed plans, but also offers a free, self-hosted version of its software. That\u2019s the version that\u2019s blown up in the days since Manus\u2019 unveiling.<\/p>\n Zunic says he and Magnus are trying to \u201csell a shovel\u201d to developers chasing after the gold rush of web agents. <\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to create a foundation layer that everyone will build browser agents on,\u201d Zunic said. \u201cIn our minds, there will be more agents on the web than humans by the end of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n That might sound overly bullish, but several analysts predict that the broader market for AI agents will indeed grow enormously in the months to come. According<\/a> to Research and Markets, the sector will reach $42 billion in 2029. Deloitte anticipates<\/a> that half of companies using AI will deploy AI agents by 2027.<\/p>\n Manus effect aside, Browser Use\u2019s timing appears to have been fortuitous.<\/p>\n