OpenAI introduced a new ChatGPT feature called "Deep Research" on Monday, ahead of high-level meetings in Tokyo, as competition in the artificial intelligence sector intensifies with China's DeepSeek chatbot gaining attention.
The company stated that the new tool significantly reduces the time required for research and analysis. "Deep Research is OpenAI's next agent that can do work independently—you provide a prompt, and ChatGPT will search, analyse, and synthesise information from hundreds of online sources to generate a comprehensive report at the level of a research analyst," OpenAI said in a statement.
Introduction to deep research
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) February 2, 2025
東京からのライブ🗼https://t.co/giS4K1yfrB
During a live demonstration, OpenAI researchers illustrated how the tool could aggregate web search data to assist users in making well-informed purchasing decisions.
Powered by a version of OpenAI o3 optimized for web browsing and python analysis, deep research uses reasoning to intelligently and extensively browse text, images, and PDFs across the internet. https://t.co/AJHftUBs4m
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) February 3, 2025
The announcement coincides with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s visit to Tokyo, where he is scheduled to meet Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and SoftBank Group’s CEO Masayoshi Son.
SoftBank and OpenAI are both involved in the Stargate initiative, a $500 billion AI infrastructure investment drive in the United States backed by the Trump administration.
Altman's Japan Trip
Altman and Son will participate in a forum in Tokyo with around 500 businesses, where they are expected to outline plans to enhance Japan’s AI infrastructure.
In an interview with Nikkei, Altman shared his vision for developing a new AI-powered hardware device in collaboration with Jony Ive, Apple’s former chief design officer. However, he noted that a prototype would take several years to develop.
Altman also commented on DeepSeek’s growing presence, acknowledging it as a strong model but stating that its capabilities are not fundamentally new. DeepSeek’s emergence has led to speculation that it may have reverse-engineered key aspects of US-developed AI technology.
Last week, OpenAI warned that Chinese firms are making efforts to replicate its advanced AI models, prompting increased collaboration between the company and US authorities.