New Developments in AI Research Tools

OpenAI has announced that it is providing free ChatGPT users with limited access to its Deep Research tool, previously only available to paying subscribers. Additionally, the company has expanded the tool’s capabilities for all users by introducing a lightweight version powered by its o4-mini model. According to OpenAI, the o4-mini Deep Research feature generates slightly shorter responses but is "nearly as smart, more cost-efficient, and delivers similarly high-quality results" as the original version.

OpenAI had previously released the Deep Research tool for paying Pro, Plus, Team, Edu, and Enterprise subscribers. However, even these subscribers had a limited number of Deep Research queries per month. For instance, Plus users were limited to 10 inquiries, while Pro subscribers paying $200 monthly had a limit of 125.

Expanded Access to Deep Research Tool

Now, when users reach their limit on the original version, ChatGPT will automatically switch to the lightweight version. Plus and Team subscribers will receive an additional 15 Deep Research inquiries per month, on top of their existing 10. Pro users will get an extra 125 tasks powered by the lightweight version, in addition to their existing 125. Enterprise and Edu users will gain access to the lightweight tool next week and will receive 15 more inquiries every month. Free users can utilize the tool powered by o4-mini to get up to five answers monthly.

How Deep Research Works

The Deep Research tool has the ability to analyze websites and various sources to create comprehensive reports with citations. According to OpenAI, the tool is "fine-tuned on the OpenAI o3 reasoning model," while the lightweight version is "significantly cheaper to serve." As stated by OpenAI on Twitter:

"The lightweight version of deep research is powered by a version of OpenAI o4-mini and is nearly as intelligent as the deep research people already know and love, while being significantly cheaper to serve. Responses will typically be shorter while maintaining the depth and… pic.twitter.com/H2UD5GThVj"
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) April 24, 2025

This development marks a significant expansion of the Deep Research tool’s capabilities and accessibility, making it more widely available to users.