ChatGPT gets its most powerful research upgrade yet
As people around the world try to develop AI Scientists that can make breakthrough scientific discoveries this is another step in the right direction.
Key takeaways
- Users just need to select 'deep research' in the ChatGPT message composer and enter the query, with the option to attach additional context via files and spreadsheets.
- Doing so will see articles cited in the sidebar, and the progress can be tracked there too.
- OpenAI says it can take five minutes to half an hour to complete a deep research task.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2025) 'ChatGPT gets its most powerful research upgrade yet', 311 Institute, 10 February. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/chatgpt-gets-its-most-powerful-research-upgrade-yet/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has already begun to change the way we conduct research, and now OpenAI just released a fresh update to ChatGPT that, it says, will open up "deep research" to just about anyone, which is yet another big step to helping us use AI to solve all kinds of problems and to enable new scientific breakthroughs.
Following just days after its 03-mini reasoning model, the new deep research tool is launching today for ChatGPT Pro subscribers.
"Today we’re launching deep research in ChatGPT, a new agentic capability that conducts multi-step research on the internet for complex tasks," a blog post reads, promising that the model "accomplishes in tens of minutes what would take a human many hours."
This new agent "can do work for you independently," acting on a series of prompts to "find, analyze, and synthesize hundreds of online sources to create a comprehensive report at the level of a research analyst."
It's powered by the upcoming o3 model of ChatGPT and is geared towards finance, science, policy and engineering research, while OpenAI also says that it can helpful for making purchasing decisions, too, helping run detailed product research, another shot across Google's bow, perhaps.
Using the new tool is simple, too. Users just need to select 'deep research' in the ChatGPT message composer and enter the query, with the option to attach additional context via files and spreadsheets. Doing so will see articles cited in the sidebar, and the progress can be tracked there too. OpenAI says it can take five minutes to half an hour to complete a deep research task.
OpenAI has stressed that there are limitations, however.
"It can sometimes hallucinate facts in responses or make incorrect inferences, though at a notably lower rate than existing ChatGPT models, according to internal evaluations."
"It may struggle with distinguishing authoritative information from rumors, and currently shows weakness in confidence calibration, often failing to convey uncertainty accurately. At launch, there may be minor formatting errors in reports and citations, and tasks may take longer to kick off. We expect all these issues to quickly improve with more usage and time."
Still, if you want to give it a whirl, you can do so today, providing you're paying for ChatGPT Pro.
What this means for your organisation
Research time collapses.
Work that took an analyst hours can be done in minutes. Teams can explore far more questions. Use the time saved for judgement and action.
Accuracy still needs checking.
The agent can invent facts and misjudge its own confidence. Reports need human review before decisions. Set rules for verifying AI research.
Analyst roles will change.
Junior research tasks are most exposed. Analysts will move to framing questions and testing conclusions. Plan training for these skills.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Which research tasks could an AI agent do for us now?
- How will we verify facts in AI-written reports?
- How should our analyst roles change?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
As people around the world try to develop AI Scientists that can make breakthrough scientific discoveries this is another step in the right direction.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
What future do you need to see?
Choose one to get started on AI and intelligence and the future of your organisation.
Sources and further reading
- a blog post reads openai.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 10 February 2025. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2025). ChatGPT gets its most powerful research upgrade yet. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/chatgpt-gets-its-most-powerful-research-upgrade-yet/
You are welcome to quote this article with credit and a link to the original.