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Deep Research

Deep Research is a mode where AI doesn't just answer your question — it goes away, searches dozens of sources, reads them properly, and comes back with a structured report. It takes 5–15 minutes and produces something that would otherwise take a researcher half a day.

Claude, ChatGPT, and Perplexity all offer versions of it. The output quality is genuinely impressive — closer to a briefing document than a search result.

What it's good for​

Competitor or market research. Drop in a company name or a market question and come back to a full briefing: what they do, how they position themselves, where the gaps are, what's changing in the space.

Due diligence. Before a meeting, a pitch, or a partnership decision — understand the context properly without spending hours on it.

Topic deep dives. Need to get up to speed on something quickly? A new regulation, a technology, an industry you're entering. Deep Research reads the primary sources, not just the summaries.

Preparing for negotiations. Background on the person, their company, their recent news, their likely priorities. Walk in knowing more than they expect you to.

How to use it​

Claude​

In any conversation, add Extended Thinking (the lightning bolt icon). This is Claude's version — it reasons for longer before responding, checks its own logic, and produces more thorough output. For research tasks, Claude can also browse the web in real time.

For a proper research brief: be specific. Tell Claude what you need, why you need it, and what format would be most useful.

ChatGPT​

GPT-4o with web browsing enabled does solid real-time research. For the proper Deep Research mode: available in ChatGPT Pro — it runs a multi-step research process and produces a full report.

Perplexity​

The most consistent option for research with sources. Perplexity Pro Search is their deep research mode — multiple searches, synthesis across sources, cited throughout. Available on the Pro plan.

Writing a good research prompt​

A vague prompt gets a vague report. Be specific about:

  • What you want to know — the specific question, not just the topic
  • Why you need it — the context helps calibrate the depth and angle
  • What you already know — so it doesn't cover ground you've already covered
  • What format works — bullet points, a full briefing doc, a comparison table

Example:

I'm meeting the CEO of [company] next Thursday. They're a mid-sized professional services firm, £30m turnover, based in Bristol. I know they've been growing through acquisition recently. Research them and prepare a 1-page briefing: what they do, recent news, likely priorities, and 3 questions I should ask that will make me look well-prepared.

A word of caution​

Deep Research cites sources, which is useful — but always check the key facts before you use them. AI can occasionally cite a source that doesn't say exactly what it claims, or miss nuance in a complex topic.

For anything you're going to act on (a pitch, a negotiation, a decision), verify the important bits directly. Deep Research is excellent for getting you 80% of the way there quickly. The last 20% is still on you.

tip

Use Deep Research to prepare for important meetings, not just to do research in general. The ROI is highest when the output goes directly into something consequential.