By CHAN HO-HIM

HONG KONG (AP) — China said on Thursday it would assess and investigate Meta’s acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Manus, in a move highlighting its technology rivalry with the U.S.

Meta announced last week it was buying Manus, which is Singapore-based with Chinese roots, as the California tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram expands its AI offerings across its platforms.

It is a rare acquisition by a U.S. tech group of an AI company with Chinese roots, at a time of heightened frictions between Washington and Beijing.

On Thursday, China’s Commerce Ministry spokesperson He Yadong told reporters that it would work with relevant departments to assess and investigate whether Meta’s acquisition of Manus is consistent with Chinese laws and regulations.

Any enterprises engaging in outward investment, technology export, data transfer and cross-border mergers and acquisitions must comply with Chinese laws, He said.

Meta and Manus did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

“Security has become the top concern for Chinese policymakers,” said Gary Ng, a senior economist for Asia Pacific at investment bank Natixis. “Any tech transfer that could give the U.S. an edge in competitiveness will be heavily scrutinized.”

While the company behind Manus is Singapore-based Butterfly Effect Pte, its roots can be traced back to Beijing-registered entities which were founded in China a few years ago.

Meta said last week there would be “no continuing Chinese ownership interests in Manus AI” following the acquisition, and that Manus would discontinue its services and operations in China. Meta’s platforms including Facebook and Instagram are still banned in China under the country’s “Great Firewall”.

Manus said it would continue to operate in Singapore, where most of its employees are now based.

Cui Fan, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, raised questions in a public post on the Chinese social media site WeChat over the acquisition’s compliance with Chinese laws and technology export controls.

“A key question is whether any technologies prohibited or restricted from export under Chinese laws and regulations are exported without a license,” he wrote.

The “general-purpose” AI agent released by Manus last year can autonomously perform multi-step complex work such as breaking down tasks into smaller steps. It can be used for free but also offers paid subscription packages.

Last month, Manus said its annual recurring revenue had reached more than $100 million.

Associated Press researcher Shihuan Chen in Beijing contributed to this report.

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE

More artificial intelligence is being implanted into Gmail as Google tries to turn the world’s most popular email service into a personal assistant that can improve writing, summarize far-flung information buried in inboxes and deliver daily to-do lists.

The new AI features announced Thursday could herald a pivotal moment for Gmail, a service that transformed email when it was introduced nearly 22 years ago. Since then, Gmail has amassed more than 3 billion users to become nearly as ubiquitous as Google’s search engine.

Gmail’s new AI options will only be available in English within the United States for starters, but the company is promising to expand the technology to other countries and other languages as the year unfolds.

The most broadly available tool will be a “Help Me Write” option designed to learn a user’s writing style so it can personalize emails and make real-time suggestions on how to burnish the message.

Google is also offering subscribers who pay for its Pro and Ultra services access to technology that mirrors the AI Overviews that’s been built into its search engine since 2023. The expansion will enable subscribers pose conversational questions in Gmail’s search bar to get instant answers about information they are trying to retrieve from their inboxes.

In what could turn into another revolutionary step, “AI Inbox” is also being rolled out to a subset of “trusted testers” in the U.S. When it’s turned on, the function will sift through inboxes and suggest to-do lists and topics that users might want to explore.

“This is us delivering on Gmail proactively having your back,” said Blake Barnes, a Google vice president of product.

All of the new technology is tied to the Google’s latest AI model, Gemini 3, which was unleashed into its search engine late last year. The upgrade, designed to turn Google search into a “thought partner” has been so well received that it prompted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, whose company makes the popular ChatGPT chatbot, to issue a “code red” following its release.

But thrusting more AI into Gmail poses potential risks for Google, especially if the technology malfunctions and presents misleading information or crafts emails that get users into trouble — even though people are able to proofread the messages or turn off the features at any time.

Allowing Google’s AI to dig deeper into inboxes to learn more about their habits and interest also could raise privacy issues — a challenge that Gmail confronted from the get-go.

To help subsidize the free service, Google included targeted ads in Gmail that were based on information contained within the electronic conversations. That twist initially triggered a privacy backlash among lawmakers and consumer groups, but the uproar eventually died down and never deterred Gmail’s rapid growth as an email provider. Rivals eventually adopted similar features.

As it brings more AI into Gmail, Google promises none of the content that the technology analyzes will be used to train the models that help Gemini improve. The Mountain View, California, company says it also has built an “engineering privacy” barrier to corral all the information within inboxes to protect it from prying eyes.

Gov. Tim Walz is proclaiming Friday to be a “Day of Unity” and is inviting all Minnesotans and Americans to participate in acts of service to remember and honor Renee Nicole Good, the 37-year-old fatally shoot in Minneapolis by a federal agent.

“Renee Nicole Good was a loving mother, partner, daughter, and neighbor whose life was defined by compassion, creativity, and care for others,” Walz said in a statement. “While we cannot bring back Renee Nicole Good, we can honor her life by standing together for decency, democracy, compassion, and our shared values. I invite all Minnesotans and Americans to join me in a day of unity, and honoring her with a moment of silence and participating in acts of service.”

The governor is encouraging all “individuals, businesses, faith institutions, and organizations” to take a moment of silence at 10 a.m., and “use the day to connect in your community and engage in acts of service.”

Related Articles

Gov. Tim Walz authorizes National Guard to be staged, ready

Gov. Walz urges protesters not to give federal authorities cause to bring in more troops

Minnesota will no longer use CDC guidance for vaccine recommendations

BCA says they’ve ‘reluctantly withdrawn’ from investigation of ICE shooting after feds reversed course

Arne Carlson, et al: Let’s take the road to excellence, Minnesota

Good was killed Wednesday in Minneapolis. Walz has urged protesters to remain peaceful in the wake of the shooting.

Minnesota leaders — from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to the governor — have condemned the shooting while President Donald Trump and key members of his administration say the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer acted legally to protect himself.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, authorities said.

The FBI’s Portland office said it was investigating an “agent involved shooting” that happened around 2:15 p.m. “involving Customs and Border Patrol Agents in which 2 individuals were wounded.”

The Portland Police Bureau said its officers responded and found a man and woman with apparent gunshot wounds. They were transported to a hospital and their conditions are unknown, the bureau said in a statement.

The Department of Homeland Security’s agencies include Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Border Patrol.

This is a breaking news story. More information will be added as it comes in.