Meta Challenges OpenAI with Telegram Integration for Manus AI

In a move that underscores intensifying competition in the artificial intelligence sector, Meta Platforms has announced the integration of its cloud-based assistant, Manus AI, into the popular messaging platform Telegram.

The new feature allows users to interact directly with AI agents inside Telegram chats, marking a significant expansion of Manus AI beyond traditional web and standalone app environments. The development signals Meta’s broader ambition to embed AI tools across social and communication platforms, a strategy widely seen as positioning the company more directly against OpenAI.

According to a comparison published by tech outlet PCWorld, Manus AI’s Telegram integration brings it closer in functionality to OpenClaw AI, an open-source AI agent platform recently acquired by OpenAI.

OpenClaw has gained recognition for its privacy-focused architecture and its ability to run locally on users’ devices rather than relying on cloud infrastructure. One of its standout features is broad messaging-platform compatibility, enabling users to deploy AI agents through services such as WhatsApp, Discord, iMessage, Slack, and Telegram.

By introducing Telegram access, Meta appears to be narrowing that differentiation, at least in terms of social messaging reach.

Despite functional similarities, Manus AI and OpenClaw represent two distinct philosophies in AI deployment.

OpenClaw operates as an open-source platform, prioritizing local execution and enhanced user privacy. It allows users to deploy AI agents capable of executing multi-step commands, organizing inboxes and linking accounts, automatically generating applications from simple instructions, creating sub-agents for complex workflows

Manus AI, by contrast, is a commercial, cloud-based product developed by Meta. The service is offered through a subscription model starting at $40 per month and focuses on advanced task execution within integrated cloud ecosystems.

Its core capabilities include deploying AI agents to perform structured tasks, conducting in-depth research and generating detailed reports, linking and monitoring email accounts, building applications based on user prompts.

While both platforms emphasize autonomous AI agents, the underlying difference lies in infrastructure: OpenClaw runs locally to enhance privacy and user control, whereas Manus AI operates via Meta’s cloud systems, prioritizing scalability and seamless integration.

The Telegram rollout is widely viewed as a precursor to broader expansion across additional social and messaging applications. Embedding AI agents directly within chat environments could significantly increase daily user interaction and lower the barrier to AI adoption.

As the race to dominate consumer-facing AI intensifies, Meta’s latest move highlights a growing consensus in Silicon Valley: the future of artificial intelligence may not reside in standalone apps, but inside the messaging platforms people already use every day.