What is Deep Research in AI? (Gemini, Perplexity and ChatGPT)
Deep Research is a cutting-edge AI feature introduced by both OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini to assist users in tackling complex research tasks. Unlike conventional AI responses, Deep Research actively scours the internet for pertinent information, sifts through hundreds of online sources, and generates comprehensive reports complete with proper citations.
This powerful tool operates at the level of a research analyst, providing users with more precise and reliable answers compared to standard AI interactions.
Advancing Beyond Traditional AI
Deep Research surpasses the capabilities of traditional AI by leveraging sophisticated reasoning frameworks. Instead of solely relying on existing training data, the AI delves into the latest online information, verifies facts across multiple sources, and supplies citations that users can independently verify. This addresses a significant challenge with AI—ensuring the validity and currency of information provided.
The AI for Beginners course at the Institute of AI Studies is designed to help users effectively understand and utilize tools like Deep Research. This course simplifies intricate AI concepts into easily digestible lessons, teaching users how to craft better prompts, extract more valuable answers from AI systems, and apply these newfound skills to their professional or academic pursuits.
As the field of AI rapidly evolves, this course equips individuals with the necessary knowledge to stay ahead of the curve and leverage the full potential of advanced research tools like Deep Research.
Understanding Deep Research Technology
Deep Research, an AI agent integrated within ChatGPT by OpenAI, specializes in creating detailed reports on various topics by scouring the web. This tool can accomplish in minutes what might take a human researcher hours to complete. 
Functioning as an inherent feature of ChatGPT, Deep Research utilizes OpenAI's GPT-4o/4.5 models to autonomously conduct thorough research. It scours the web for 5 to 30 minutes, compiling information from diverse sources to craft all-encompassing reports.
The system is adept at comprehending text, images, and PDF files, functioning on a specialized iteration of OpenAI's o3 model. Future enhancements will enable Deep Research to incorporate visual elements and incorporate images into its reports.
The Distinction of Deep Research
Unlike basic ChatGPT functions, Deep Research emulates the research methodology of a human. It adeptly retrieves information, juxtaposes various sources, and constructs a comprehensive overview of a subject sans continual human intervention. 
While conventional ChatGPT may encounter difficulties with current events or intricate topics, Deep Research excels at sourcing up-to-date information and delving deeply into subjects. This distinction can be likened to the disparity between a casual chat with a friend and engaging a dedicated research assistant.
OpenAI asserts that Deep Research exhibits a lower hallucination rate compared to other ChatGPT models, ensuring the reliability of its outputs.
