Meet 'Deep Research', OpenAI's new tool that does the googling for you

OpenAI's 'Deep Research' can search the web, find information, and create clear reports in minutes, making research faster and easier for people in different fields

A week after launching an AI tool capable of shopping for groceries and booking restaurant reservations, OpenAI has released another feature: Deep Research. This new AI tool can search the internet and compile concise, structured reports quickly.

 

OpenAI demonstrated Deep Research on YouTube on Sunday, February 2, following a preview for lawmakers, policymakers, and officials in Washington.

 

“It can do complex research tasks that might take a person anywhere from 30 minutes to 30 days,” said Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s Chief Product Officer, during the event in Washington, as quoted by The New York Times. Deep Research can complete these tasks in just five to 30 minutes, depending on their complexity.

 

 

More than just a chatbot

 

While traditional chatbots can answer questions, write texts, or generate images, Deep Research is known as an AI agent. This means it can interact with other software and online services. Whether it’s ordering food via DoorDash or summarising online data, Deep Research can manage the task.

 

During a briefing on Capitol Hill, Weil demonstrated the tool by asking it to create a report on Albert Einstein. The scenario involved preparing for a congressional hearing where Einstein was a nominee for US Secretary of Energy. In a short time, Deep Research compiled Einstein’s background, personality insights, and generated five questions a senator might ask to assess his qualifications.  ALSO READ: What is ChatGPT Gov? OpenAI's new AI tool for built for US government use

 

“It can surf the web, understand text, images, and PDFs,” Weil said. “It can do this recursively, starting with one search that leads to others, then combining the information it gathers.”

 

Accuracy and limitations

 

Deep Research provides citations for its sources, adding transparency. However, like many AI tools, it isn’t perfect. Weil acknowledged the risk of “hallucinations”—where the AI generates incorrect or misleading information.

 

OpenAI noted that the tool may sometimes struggle to distinguish between reliable sources and rumours and may not always clearly indicate uncertainty in its responses. Despite these issues, Weil believes it has potential to be useful in fields like finance, science, and law.

 

Availability and pricing

 

Starting Sunday, Deep Research will be available to ChatGPT Pro subscribers, a $200-a-month service that includes access to OpenAI’s latest tools. The company also plans to offer it through other paid tiers.

 

Powered by the same technology as ChatGPT, Deep Research is based on OpenAI's o3 reasoning model, an advanced neural network that learns and improves through data analysis and trial-and-error.