Deep research
Also called deep research agent, research mode, ai research assistant
An AI mode that spends several minutes searching and reading many sources, then writes a detailed report with citations.
Deep research is a type of AI agent, now offered in many leading assistants, that conducts multi-step research on your behalf. Instead of answering immediately, it plans an approach, runs many web searches, reads dozens of pages, follows leads, and compiles a structured report with citations, typically taking anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour.
It suits questions that would take a person hours of searching and reading: market overviews, literature scans, comparisons of products or policies, background research before a decision, or summarising the current state of a fast-moving topic. The output is usually a long, organised document rather than a chat reply.
The quality depends heavily on the brief. A clear question, sub-questions, preferred sources, time frame and desired report format produce focused reports; a vague request produces long, generic ones. Deep research can still cite weak sources, misread pages or present a one-sided picture, so the citations should be checked, especially for claims you will rely on.
Example
A founder asks a deep research tool to compare company registration options for non-residents in five EU countries, prioritising government websites, and to produce a table of costs, timelines and residency requirements. Twenty minutes later they have a cited report to check against official sources.
Common mistake
Treating a deep research report as verified because it has many citations. The volume of sources can make weak conclusions look solid. Open the sources behind the key claims, check they say what the report says, and look for important perspectives that are missing.