OpenAI is opening up its Deep Research tool to all paying ChatGPT users.
In a series of posts on X this week, the company said Plus, Team, Enterprise and Edu users will now have access to 10 Deep Research queries each month. Previously, only Pro users — who pay $200 a month — were able to access the tool. Meanwhile, Pro users will see their monthly Deep Research queries increase to 120, up from 100.
OpenAI told CNET it also made improvements to the tool, including embedding images with citations for deeper insight and the ability to better understand files to help with document analysis. The move comes as OpenAI expands its suite of tools and moves toward its broader goal of developing AI that can match or surpass human capabilities in areas requiring deep analysis and decision-making.
The company also announced this week that it is rolling out a free version of Advanced Voice Mode, a tool that enables real-time voice interactions with ChatGPT. The iteration will be powered by its GPT-4o Mini model, whereas ChatGPT Plus users use Advanced Voice Mode powered through 4o with advanced capabilities access to video and screensharing.
Microsoft, meanwhile, said this week that it is giving Copilot AI users unlimited free access to its Voice and Think Deeper resources on its free tier. Voice enables verbal commands, and Think Deeper is meant for more complex questions through more advanced reasoning powered by the OpenAI o1 model.
Paul Schell, an analyst at ABI Research, noted the latest Deep Research news from OpenAI follows a pattern seen with previous iterations of ChatGPT in which the company makes gradual improvements and provides more access to less expensive tiers over time.
"There is a democratization of AI occurring, and the real question is whether such high-performance (agentic AI) models will be refined to a level that can be implemented in workplaces, and the impact that this will have on a range of professions," he said.
Announced in early February, Deep Research is an AI agent that uses reasoning-like skills to make sense of large amounts of information and tackle complex, multistep tasks. The company said it can accomplish in minutes what would take a human several hours.
Some queries, however, may take up to 30 minutes as the AI sifts through hundreds of online sources to create a comprehensive report. The tool runs on OpenAI's o3 model, which uses search to interpret and analyze text, images and PDFs.
OpenAI has said Deep Research is intended for people who require intensive research in areas like finance, science, policy and engineering. But it could also be helpful for general consumers, such as shoppers looking for hyper-personalized recommendations on cars and appliances, according to the company.