As of February 12, 2025, deep research is available to all Pro users on all clients (web, iOS, Android, MacOS, and Windows).
What is deep research?
Deep research is a specialized AI capability designed to perform in-depth, multi-step research using data on the public web. It’s fine-tuned on the upcoming OpenAI o3 reasoning model and can autonomously search for and read information from diverse online sources. This enables it to create thorough, documented, and clearly cited reports on complex topics.
What kind of tasks should I use deep research for?
Deep research is perfect for people who do intense knowledge work in areas like finance, science, and law, as well as researchers and discerning shoppers who need thorough, precise, and reliable research. Every output is fully documented, with clear citations to sources, making it easy to verify and reference the information. Deep research is particularly effective at finding niche, non-intuitive information that would involve multiple steps across numerous websites.
Who can use deep research and what are the limits?
Pro users have access to 100 deep research tasks per month. We look forward to extending access to Plus, Team, and Enterprise users at a later date.
How do I use deep research?
In ChatGPT, select ‘Deep research’ when typing in your query. Tell ChatGPT what you need—whether it’s a comprehensive competitive analysis or a personalized report on the best commuter bike that meets your specific requirements. You can attach images, files, or spreadsheets to add context to your question. Deep research may sometimes generate a form to capture specific parameters of your question before it starts researching so it can create a more focused and relevant report.
Once it starts running, a sidebar appears with a summary of the model’s thought process and websites it’s visiting to find relevant information. Deep research may take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes to complete its work. Unlike a traditional chatbot exchange, it works in the background, diving into web searches, reading through text, PDFs, images, and more, then synthesizing results.
The final output arrives as a report within the chat – in the next few weeks, we will also be adding embedded images, data visualizations, and other analytic outputs in these reports for additional clarity and context.
How long does each research task take?
Deep research typically completes a query within 5 to 30 minutes, depending on its complexity. For shorter, real-time conversations or simpler queries, you might prefer using GPT-4o (with or without Search), which responds almost instantly.
What if I only need a quick answer?
If you just need a short response or a casual conversation, deep research is likely not necessary. Deep research shines in complicated, multi-layered inquiries requiring data from across the web.
How does deep research differ from search?
Deep research and search in ChatGPT are designed for different types of tasks. Search is great for quick, interactive real-time answers, like checking the news, weather, or sports scores. It pulls information from the web and gives you a brief summary with links to sources. Deep research, on the other hand, is built for more complex tasks that require greater depth and thoroughness. It searches through hundreds of sources, analyzes the information, and puts together a detailed report with citations and data.
In short, traditional “search” can help you look up information and will give you fast, concise answers in seconds while deep research will deliberately take more time (ranging anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes) to deliver a thorough, well-documented, and complete response. As a simple heuristic:
Use search when you need quick facts or to look up something
Use deep research when you need in-depth analysis or something beyond the surface level
Does deep research cite its sources?
Yes, the output from deep research includes clearly labeled citations or source links. This enables you to better understand where information is coming from, fact check, or track down details as needed.
What data does deep research have access to?
Currently, deep research can access the open web and any uploaded files, but is not able to access private data sources (e.g., subscription-based sources, internal resources). We look forward to making this type of data available to deep research in the near future!