OpenAI Unveils 'Deep Research' AI Agent for Autonomous Web Investigations

The new ChatGPT feature aims to streamline complex research tasks but raises questions about AI's role in the workforce.

OpenAI's Deep Research, integrated into ChatGPT, autonomously conducts multi-step web investigations and compiles detailed reports with citations.
The tool, powered by OpenAI's o3 model, is optimized for reasoning and data analysis, initially available to Pro users with plans for wider rollout.
Deep Research identified 20 jobs most susceptible to automation, including tax preparers, data entry clerks, and telemarketers, citing AI's proficiency in technical tasks.
Hugging Face released an open-source alternative, Open Deep Research, achieving 55% accuracy on benchmarks compared to OpenAI's 67%, demonstrating rapid open-source innovation.
Critics highlight risks of misinterpretation and emphasize the need for AI literacy to ensure users can effectively refine and validate AI outputs.