I spend a lot of time poking, prodding, and generally tormenting AI agents to see what makes them tick, and I’ve developed a keen eye for what’s genuinely useful and what’s merely shiny tech hype.
Recently, my curiosity led me to test ChatGPT‘s latest feature, Deep Research, and I have to admit – I’m genuinely impressed. But before we jump into why, let’s briefly unpack what exactly this feature is and how it works.
Deep Research is the brilliant librarian addict you always hoped to be paired up with in school. It can gather, analyze, and repackage huge amounts of information in useful and even fun ways. Unlike a typical quick Q&A session, Deep Research takes its time. That can mean anything from five minutes to, theoretically, a full half hour. It will then deliver detailed, trustworthy insights tailored precisely to your query.
I’ve spent a lot of time with it and genuinely think it’s the best bit of ChatGPT right now. If you’re unsure whether it’s worth the hype, I’ve put together a handful of reasons you might want to stick a toe in Deep Research.
The perfect vacation
I’ve spent more time than I like to think about scrolling through travel blogs, Reddit threads, and outdated TripAdvisor reviews just to plan a simple getaway. Planning vacations, especially if you want something beyond the standard tourist traps, is something Deep Research is quite good at. For a test, I asked the AI to “Plan a two-week trip to Portugal, emphasizing local culture, hidden gems, authentic cuisine, and avoiding crowds.”
Deep Research’s response was genuinely impressive. After about 20 minutes, it came back with a carefully planned itinerary filled with interesting recommendations, like a quiet day exploring the historic fishing villages along Portugal’s Silver Coast and sampling fresh seafood in lesser-known local restaurants. It included thoughtful touches, such as attending a small-town festival celebrating traditional crafts, and practical logistics, such as ideal transport options and lodging suggestions outside major tourist hubs.
I gave it another go with, “What’s the best month to visit Costa Rica for wildlife viewing, especially if you’re hoping to see sea turtles?”
Again, Deep Research produced a thorough report. It neatly summarized the nesting and hatching seasons of various turtle species and described weather conditions and tourist patterns month by month. It provided useful tips about where and when to find volunteer opportunities with conservation projects.
Health help
Deep Research can be a real boon if you’ve ever had that middle-of-the-night headache and discovered that, according to WebMD, it’s a rare tropical disease.
Reliable online health information sometimes takes more than a little digging to work out which bits apply to your hypochondriac moment. Deep Research can personalize your answers while avoiding the more nonsensical suggestions like combatting viruses with crystals. The same goes for more lifestyle-related health queries. For instance, I asked Deep Research to “Investigate whether intermittent fasting has significant long-term health benefits and if it’s safe for everyone.”
Instead of sensational headlines, Deep Research returned an extensive, measured overview of clinical studies and expert opinions. It outlined potential benefits like improved metabolism and weight loss. Still, it balanced it with thoughtful cautions about groups who should avoid fasting, such as pregnant women and people with certain chronic health conditions.
Hobbying
Taking on a new hobby can be exciting until you realize the first steps usually involve wading through conflicting advice on YouTube or outdated instructional articles. Here, Deep Research acts like your patient, knowledgeable guide.
I asked the AI to “Create a beginner’s guide for someone who wants to start baking bread from scratch, including common mistakes to avoid.”
It took a while, around 15 minutes, to get the report. I presume this is because there was a massive glut of people writing about their experiences with baking in 2020.
Still, I eventually had an accessible yet comprehensive bread-baking guide that even included troubleshooting tips for issues like overly dense dough or uneven rising. It suggested easy starter recipes, explained the science behind yeast fermentation in simple terms, and even included advice on necessary equipment that wouldn’t cost too much.
Purchase power
The infinite ocean of online shopping choices can instantly overwhelm the most decisive person. I love the idea of a personal shopping guru who can show their work on what to buy.
So I started by asking Deep Research to, “Compare the top-rated robot vacuums under $300, considering user reviews, battery life, cleaning ability, and ease of maintenance.”
Deep Research dove into the specs, scoured customer experiences, and filtered through the noise to deliver a report that helped. It laid out the differences between leading models with real clarity. Within minutes, I knew exactly which vacuum would keep my floors spotless without emptying my wallet. With Deep Research, you might finally get rid of much of that shopping stress.
Nerding out
We’ve all spiraled down internet rabbit holes chasing our curiosity, emerging bleary-eyed but fascinated hours later. Deep Research offers a much more efficient and satisfying way to scratch your intellectual itch. It’s probably one of the best parts of ChatGPT.
For instance, I was thinking about early printing compared to today’s flood of digital content, so I asked Deep Research to “Give an accessible but detailed overview of how the printing press influenced European society and culture in the 15th century.”
After half an hour, Deep Research produced an engaging summary highlighting key historical events across the Renaissance and Reformation. It detailed how printed texts democratized knowledge, spurred literacy, and even reshaped politics and religion, all explained clearly enough to satisfy casual history buffs without overwhelming them.
I decided I wanted another flavor of nerdy fun on an intriguing subject, without totally grasping it. I requested that the AI “Simplify and explain quantum computing and its possible impacts in everyday life over the next decade.”
After a surprisingly shorter time than the printing press request, ChatGPT had a report that could help me understand things like quantum bits and entanglement. It thoughtfully speculated on near-future applications like drug discovery, cybersecurity, and even predicting traffic patterns, basically delivering a compact TED Talk tailored just for me.
Now, of course, Deep Research isn’t without limitations. It can occasionally stumble, serving up overly confident but incorrect responses. Deep Research’s dependency on publicly available internet content means controversial or rapidly evolving topics may present challenges. But these shortcomings don’t overshadow the immense practical value and ease of use this feature offers
In a world increasingly overloaded with questionable information and digital noise, having a reliable, thorough, and easy-to-use tool like ChatGPT Deep Research genuinely feels like having a brilliant, ever-ready assistant waiting at your beck and call.
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erichs211@gmail.com (Eric Hal Schwartz)
