What is OpenAI's Deep Research?

A new way for researchers to use ChatGPT

OpenAI recently introduced their new feature "Deep Research" – a new way to conduct deep research using AI. However, there's an interesting detail in the name that cannot be ignored. Google already has a product with the same name, "Deep Research," and OpenAI's choice of name might be more strategic than initially thought. Additionally, it may have connections to the rapidly growing competitor "DeepSeek AI".

What Does OpenAI's Deep Research Do?

Deep Research is a new ChatGPT feature created to independently conduct comprehensive research on the internet. Using the upcoming o3 model, optimized for web searching and data analysis, Deep Research can analyze and synthesize information from various online sources, including text, images, and PDF files. Users only need to provide a prompt, and ChatGPT generates a comprehensive report by summarizing information from these sources. This process, which takes Deep Research between 5 and 30 minutes, would traditionally require several hours of human work. The tool is particularly useful for professionals in fields such as finance, science, and technology. It is currently available for Pro users (the $200/month model).

Deep Research - A name with an ulterior motive?

It's not uncommon for large tech companies to consider SEO and brand positioning when naming their products. By launching "Deep Research," OpenAI can potentially reduce the visibility of the Chinese competitor in search results. If OpenAI succeeds in gaining significant traction with its Deep Research initiative, it could mean that searches for the term in the future will lead to OpenAI's project rather than Google's, and Deep Seek will rank higher in various types of searches.