Search interest for “AI agents” has seen a massive increase, with a 900% increase in demand in the last 12 months, according to Google Trends data analyzed by Finbold research.
By 9 March, the ‘score’ hit 100 – the highest possible number – with most traffic concentrated in East Asia. China is decisively at the top spot in terms of demand, as its score is also at the maximum 100, while Singapore’s – the second on the list – stands at 21.
Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan – ranked third, fourth, and fifth – are between 10 and 14.
Western countries are notable by their absence in the top 10, with west and south Asian nations dominating.
This is partly explained by the uptick in global search volume being driven the Manus AI agent, a Chinese-developed platform.
Despite the product appearing highly disruptive, as the Silicon Valley has no comparable technology, Manus is not yet available to the general public.
However, the dynamic could change quickly, as DeepSeek’s R1 popularity has shown.
Manus is reportedly able to complete complex tasks with minimal user input, using a variety of subagents to either provide the knowledge base or execute smaller processes.
Andreja Stojanovic, a co-author of the Finbold research, comments: “Most currently available artificial intelligence falls roughly within the AI assistant category, meaning its operations depend on the constant influx of user prompts. Such platforms can assist with tasks but can only complete basic work.
“AI agents, on the other hand, are supposed to be able to complete complex work with only minimal input, essentially replacing certain workers rather than helping them.”