OpenAI Launches ‘Deep Research’: AI Agent for Complex, Multi-Step Research Tasks
OpenAI on Monday launched a new feature in the ChatGPT tool called ‘deep research.’ It is an AI agent that uses reasoning to synthesise large amounts of online information and allows users to complete multi-step research tasks.
Announcing the feature, OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, wrote a thread on X. In the thread, Altman compared the agent to a superpower, providing experts on demand. It can browse the internet, conduct complex research and reasoning, and generate a report. He also claimed deep research to be highly efficient and can complete tasks that would typically take hours or days and cost hundreds of dollars.
What is Deep Research
According to OpenAI’s blog post, deep research is OpenAI's next agent, designed to work independently on the user’s behalf. Given a prompt, ChatGPT searches, analyzes, and synthesizes information from hundreds of online sources to generate a research-level report.
It is powered by a specialised OpenAI o3 model optimised for web browsing and data analysis, it interprets vast amounts of text, images, and PDFs, adapting dynamically to new information.
It is designed for professionals in fields like finance, science, policy, and engineering who need precise, reliable research. It also benefits consumers seeking in-depth recommendations on products requiring extensive research, such as vehicles, appliances, and furnishings.
Every output includes clear citations and a reasoning summary for easy verification. It excels at finding specialized, non-intuitive information that would typically require browsing multiple sources. By handling complex, time-consuming web research in a single query, deep research saves time and effort.
Availability & How to Use
OpenAI announced that deep research will be available to ChatGPT Pro users starting Monday, with a limit of 100 queries per month. It will roll out next to Plus and Team users, followed by Enterprise.
To use deep research, select it in the composer and enter a query, with the option to attach files or spreadsheets. Currently available only on the web, mobile and desktop app support will be added later this month. Responses take between 5 to 30 minutes, and users will be notified when the research is complete.
Source: Outlookbusiness