Via Jim Clyde Monge
DEEP RESEARCH IS A GAME CHANGER
What is ChatGPT Deep Research?
Let’s first quickly review what the ChatGPT Deep Research feature is. If you’re already familiar with it, you can skip this short section.
Deep Research was initially introduced for Pro subscribers and has only recently become available to Plus subscribers as well (but with a monthly usage limit of 10 times).
It needs to be activated manually and will try its best to research the topic or follow your instructions. Before starting the research process, ChatGPT will ask you a question to find out what exactly you are looking for, because as soon as Deep Research is launched, one of your monthly credits is used, regardless of how successful or unsuccessful your query was.
Deep Research takes anywhere from 5 to 20+ minutes to search, prepare, and compile your research paper. I’ve received short 2-4 page papers, but also long 10+ page papers — and they all have one thing in common: they’re well-researched and well-written.
In comparison, a typical ChatGPT response will be anywhere from a few sentences to about half a page long. It’s usually well-written, but with a more friendly, personal tone.
What is Deep Research for?
So, you might be wondering what you can use Deep Research for?
Here’s a partial list:
- in-depth analysis
- synthesis of large data sets
- critical appraisal
- structured research
But what makes it special is that Deep Research does all of this on its own. It’s an AI agent that runs in the background, does its job, and will let you know when it’s ready.
Why Most People Don’t See Its Potential
The most obvious reason why people don’t use Deep Exploration, don’t see its potential, or don’t know about it at all is that most people use ChatGPT simply as a search engine. They type in a question, wait for an answer, and close the app. Not many use the follow-up questions, which is the first step to unlocking the potential of ChatGPT.
I try to explain to friends, family, and colleagues that ChatGPT should be used as a buddy. Ask questions, ask follow-up questions, challenge their answers, and discuss the results. Just like you would with a friend. It will give them much better answers.
Second, the user interface doesn’t scream “superpower.” There’s just one button that activates Deep Exploration, and it doesn’t make it obvious what it means or what it can do.
Deep Exploration takes time, good questions or answers to your questions, and of course, patience.
What Deep Research Can Actually Do
So the question remains, what can it actually do? I use it all the time for university research. If I have a homework assignment or just want an overview of a topic, I ask Deep Research to produce a detailed report and tell it what topics it should focus on.
The reports are usually about 10 pages long and are very well written, like a PhD-level paper. Of course, I don’t use the report as my homework, but because they are well written and detailed, they are a great starting point and save me hours of time on my own research.
Other examples could include market or product research, or comparative research like policy analysis.
This is just the beginning, of course — but it will get better over time. And frankly, this is another example of how AI will replace jobs. Imagine a personal assistant that does research, but now it’s almost free (Plus or Pro subscription only) and always available in your pocket (right on your iPhone).
How to use Deep Research
Using it is pretty simple. Just type in your query as usual, hit the Deep Research button, and off you go.
Deep Research will do its best to understand your query and ask you a series of questions to make sure it’s researching exactly what you need to know.
Personally, I try to instruct it in as much detail as possible. I explain exactly what I want, what I need, and what it should focus on. This helps a lot to get a good report. But it works almost as well if you just ask a simple question or use a short open-ended query.
Here’s an example of a query I used to get the best workout plan for the gym (with my doctors’ approval, of course):
*Give me a detailed report on how to get back into the gym, build muscle, and lose fat while focusing on nutrition and healthy eating. The report should use the latest research and detail a workout plan (one day for legs, one day for chest and arms, one day for cardio) that has been scientifically proven to produce good results. I want a report that is science-based and has sources.”