The AI revolution is continuing to develop rapidly.

OpenAI has launched a new AI search engine called Deep Research, which can allegedly conducted more targeted research than previous AI tools.

The New York Times reports that “OpenAI unveiled the new tool, called Deep Research, with a demonstration on YouTube on Sunday, days after showing the technology to lawmakers, policymakers and other officials in Washington.”

OpenAI has focused on market research and job candidate research applications with its recent launches of AI tools (or agents). Deep Research seems targeted at managerial users in corporations and government agencies, rather than at students, academic researchers or scientific researchers.

“‘It [Deep Research] can do complex research tasks that might take a person anywhere from 30 minutes to 30 days,’ Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s chief product officer, said at the event in Washington. By contrast, Deep Research can accomplish such tasks in five to 30 minutes, depending on the complexity.”

The New York Times explains that “during the briefing on Capitol Hill, Mr. Weil showed the technology gathering information about Albert Einstein. He asked the tool to put together a detailed report about the physicist for a hypothetical Senate staff member preparing for a congressional hearing where Einstein is a nominee for U.S. secretary of energy. In addition to providing information about Einstein’s background and personality, it generated five questions that a senator could ask the physicist to determine whether he was the right person for the job.”

I have not tried out Deep Research, since it is available through ChatGPT Pro—which is a subscription service that costs $200 per month. I would invite comments from researchers who have tested this AI tool and considered its potential applications for academic research.

The New York Times reports on OpenAI’s Deep Research tool.