The future of work may depend less on traditional job titles and more on how effectively employees can work with artificial intelligence.
That was one of the central messages from Tao Zhang, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Manus AI, during Web Summit 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal, on November 9.
Speaking during a session titled The Age of Agents, Zhang discussed how autonomous AI agents are changing the way businesses operate, recruit employees, and manage everyday responsibilities.
His comments offered a glimpse into a workplace where AI handles much of the execution while employees focus on problem-solving, decision-making, and directing intelligent systems.
For Manus, this shift is already influencing how the company develops products and evaluates potential employees.
Manus AI Pushes Beyond Traditional Chatbots With Autonomous Agents
Manus entered the AI industry in March 2025 with a different approach to artificial intelligence. Instead of developing another chatbot focused primarily on answering questions, the company introduced autonomous agents designed to complete complex tasks through their own computing environments.
At Web Summit 2026, Zhang explained that giving AI agents access to computers is becoming a standard capability rather than a major technological breakthrough. The bigger challenge now involves allowing these systems to interact with digital services and complete tasks that normally require human involvement.
Manus has been developing this approach through Manus 2.0, which expands the capabilities of its AI agents beyond conventional browser-based interactions. These systems can use communication tools and other digital services to carry out more complicated workflows.
The idea is simple enough. Instead of asking AI how to accomplish something, users should increasingly be able to assign the task and receive a completed result.
That difference could reshape how businesses use artificial intelligence, particularly in areas where employees spend significant time switching between applications, gathering information, and coordinating routine activities.
Manus 2.0 Gives AI Agents Email Addresses, Phone Numbers and Digital Wallets
One of the more unusual developments Zhang highlighted involves giving AI agents their own digital identities. Through Manus 2.0 and its associated personal agent application, Cue, the company has explored capabilities that allow agents to communicate and interact with online services more independently.
These capabilities include dedicated email addresses, phone numbers, and digital wallets. Rather than relying entirely on a user’s personal accounts, an agent can potentially communicate with businesses, register for services, and manage certain transactions within established permissions.
The addition of digital wallets is particularly interesting because it moves AI agents closer to handling commercial activities. An agent could eventually manage purchases or service payments as part of a larger assignment, provided the user has authorized those actions.
Such independence introduces new responsibilities for developers and businesses. Giving software access to communication systems and financial tools requires safeguards around spending limits, privacy, security, and accountability.
Still, Manus appears convinced that autonomous agents will become more useful when they can interact with the same digital infrastructure people use every day.
Tao Zhang Uses Manus AI to Manage His Daily Responsibilities
Zhang also described how he personally uses Manus to organize his workload. Rather than manually reviewing every task, gathering background information, and assigning responsibilities, he increasingly relies on AI to handle the coordination process.
The system can examine his task list, identify relevant information, and help determine which responsibilities should be delegated to colleagues. It can also collect context from workplace platforms such as Slack, Notion, and Gmail before preparing instructions for the people involved.
This approach reduces the amount of time spent on administrative work. Employees receive assignments supported by relevant background information instead of having to search through different applications to understand what needs to be done.
Zhang compared the experience to having a project management office assisting with daily operations.
It’s a practical example of how agentic AI could affect workplace productivity. The technology isn’t necessarily replacing the people responsible for completing important projects. Instead, it is taking over some of the coordination work that often slows them down.
For companies managing multiple teams and projects, that kind of automation could prove just as valuable as AI tools that generate content or write software.
Manus AI Changes Its Hiring Process to Prioritize AI Collaboration
Perhaps the most revealing part of Zhang’s presentation concerned how Manus evaluates engineering candidates.
The company has moved away from relying solely on traditional coding assessments. Instead, applicants are given approximately four hours to solve a problem using Manus, allowing recruiters to observe how they approach challenges with AI assistance.
The assessment focuses on more than whether candidates can produce working code. Manus also wants to understand how applicants communicate with AI systems, evaluate generated results, and make decisions throughout the process.
This reflects a changing definition of technical ability. Writing code remains important, but knowing how to use intelligent tools effectively is becoming another valuable skill.
Zhang also discussed how AI is reducing the boundaries between different departments. Employees working in product development, marketing, and design can increasingly contribute to tasks that previously required specialized technical knowledge.
A designer might participate in software development, while a marketer could use AI tools to build or modify digital products.
For Manus, this flexibility matters more than rigid job descriptions. The company appears increasingly interested in employees who can adapt, experiment, and use AI to solve problems outside their traditional responsibilities.
AI Agents Are Blurring the Boundaries Between Technical and Creative Jobs
The growing capabilities of autonomous agents are also challenging assumptions about which employees should handle particular tasks.
Software development, marketing, design, and project management have traditionally operated as separate disciplines. Each requires specialized knowledge, and companies typically recruit employees based on their experience in those areas.
AI is beginning to change that arrangement.
With the right tools, employees can now perform certain activities that previously required assistance from another department. A marketing professional might generate a basic application, while a designer could use AI to implement changes to a website without writing every line of code manually.
This doesn’t mean specialized expertise is becoming irrelevant. Complex software development, security, and large-scale engineering still require substantial technical understanding.
What is changing is the range of tasks individuals can attempt independently.
Zhang’s comments suggest that companies may increasingly value employees who can combine domain knowledge with the ability to direct AI systems. Those who understand both the problem and the technology available to solve it could become particularly valuable.
Manus Studio Demonstrates AI-Powered Video Production at Web Summit 2026
Beyond hiring and workplace automation, Zhang demonstrated how Manus is expanding into creative production through Manus Studio.
During the presentation, he showed how an AI agent could research Web Summit 2026 and generate a short video from a relatively simple prompt. The example involved producing a 30-second video without requiring the user to manually complete every stage of the production process.
The demonstration brought together several activities that would traditionally involve separate tools. Researching a subject, organizing information, generating content, and assembling video materials could be handled within one AI-assisted workflow.
For marketing teams and content creators, this could reduce the time needed to produce straightforward promotional videos or informational content.
The technology also raises questions about quality and accuracy. AI-generated videos still require human review, especially when they contain factual claims, brand messaging, or material intended for publication.
Nevertheless, the demonstration highlighted how quickly AI agents are expanding beyond text generation and entering creative workflows that once demanded more hands-on production.
AI Hiring Could Become a New Standard for Technology Companies
Manus’s recruitment strategy raises a larger question about how employers will evaluate candidates as AI becomes more deeply integrated into everyday work.
Traditional hiring processes often measure technical knowledge through coding exercises, interviews, and assessments completed without extensive outside assistance. Those methods remain useful, but they may not fully reflect how employees perform in workplaces where AI tools are readily available.
Testing candidates on their ability to collaborate with AI offers another way to measure practical problem-solving skills.
An applicant who understands how to break down a complex task, provide clear instructions, identify mistakes, and improve AI-generated output may demonstrate abilities that conventional assessments overlook.
However, relying too heavily on AI-assisted evaluations could create challenges. Employers still need to determine whether candidates understand the underlying work and can recognize when an AI system produces incorrect results.
Manus’s approach may not suit every organization, but it provides an early example of how recruitment practices could evolve alongside increasingly capable AI systems.
Web Summit 2026 Shows How Agentic AI Is Reshaping the Future of Work
Web Summit 2026, taking place from November 9 to 12 in Lisbon, has brought together technology companies, entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders to discuss emerging developments across artificial intelligence and digital innovation.
Autonomous AI agents have become an important part of that conversation as developers move beyond systems that simply generate answers toward software capable of performing actions.
For Manus, the next stage of AI development involves making agents more independent, more connected to everyday applications, and more capable of managing complicated assignments.
Zhang’s presentation suggested that the effects will extend beyond software products. Companies may need to reconsider how they organize teams, assign responsibilities, and evaluate employee performance.
The ability to use AI effectively could become an increasingly important workplace skill, particularly as intelligent systems take over more routine execution and coordination.
There is still a considerable difference between demonstrating autonomous capabilities and deploying them reliably across an organization. Businesses will need to address security, oversight, and accountability before giving AI agents greater independence.
Even so, Manus is already experimenting with a different model of work.
Its message from Web Summit 2026 was clear: the value of an employee may increasingly depend not just on what they can do themselves, but on what they can accomplish with AI.
