ChatGPT’s Deep Research tool is fantastic for delving deep into almost any topic you choose, but it still needs some improvements to be truly useful. I use Deep Research all the time and I think it would be so much better with these extra features.
1
Customizable Parameters
When I use ChatGPT Deep Research, I normally answer follow-up questions to give the tool more context. However, I wish that I could use customizable parameters instead.
I’d envision this feature working like filters when shopping online. I’d love to choose how many resources I want ChatGPT to analyze, along with published timeframes. Moreover, it’d be great if I could search based on different keywords.
Customizable parameters would keep my research much more organized. I feel like the results would be worth the time it takes for ChatGPT to perform Deep Research, too. Until this happens, there are at least ways that you can force ChatGPT to use high-quality sources.
2
Research Layout Options
ChatGPT’s Deep Research feature can lay out information in multiple ways. For example, it’ll use tables when comparing statistics or other aspects. In other instances, the tool will lay out information in comprehensive sub-sections.
While various layout options are nice, I wish that ChatGPT would let me choose how I want it to present information. Sometimes, I see content presented in sentence form when I’d rather use tables.
I sometimes use prompts to ask ChatGPT to present information in my preferred format, but unfortunately, it doesn’t always listen.
3
A Bigger Monthly Allowance
Perhaps my biggest gripe with ChatGPT’s Deep Research tool is how easy it is to use your monthly credits. Though this is fine for casual users, 10 monthly queries are not enough for people who regularly need to perform comprehensive research. I went through my queries in two days.
I could understand ten monthly queries for free users; in these instances, I actually think it would be good value. However, as someone who pays $20 per month for ChatGPT, I can’t help but feel like I’m not being given the best possible service.
At the very least, I think that 15-20 monthly queries are fair for a Plus plan. I would increase these allowances further for higher-tier subscriptions. OpenAI could incentivize people to sign up for these plans by doing so, resulting in a better user experience and increased revenue.
4
A Separate Section in ChatGPT
I use ChatGPT for multiple conversations, whether I’m planning a new part of my life or want to work through my current thoughts. As I create more chats, the interface becomes clunky and disorganized. Annoyingly, I have no way to differentiate between ordinary conversations and discussions in which I’ve used Deep Research.
While I can create new projects via the sidebar, I’d rather have ChatGPT automatically organize my conversations with Deep Research. This would be an effective improvement to the ChatGPT user interface, and it wouldn’t be particularly difficult to implement.
Even if the app didn’t have a separate section, a differentiator—such as an icon—would be handy.
5
Integration With Custom GPTs
Custom GPTs are ChatGPT’s most underrated feature. I love how easy they make it to get the exact type of response I was looking for, and there are useful Custom GPTs for all kinds of interests. But unfortunately, you can’t currently integrate them with the Deep Research feature.
I feel like responses would be much more accurate if they had the context of Custom GPTs. This is particularly true, considering some of my normal chats have multiple subjects.
I don’t know how this would be possible because I imagine the two programs would conflict. But if there was a way to integrate Deep Research and Custom GPTs, I don’t see how any other AI tool could compete in this area.
6
The Ability to Break Text Into Smaller Chunks
I’ve compared ChatGPT’s Deep Research to similar tools, such as Microsoft Copilot’s equivalent. When it comes to detailed responses, Deep Research stands head and shoulders above its competition. But at the same time, I sometimes see huge paragraphs once the research has concluded.
Skim-reading on a screen is much harder than with a book, and I sometimes miss key points in the research. When this happens, research takes longer than it should. Breaking text into smaller chunks would be a simple but effective solution.
If all the text is truly important, ChatGPT could divide it into more subsections. That way, I’d be able to identify the most essential information easily.
7
The Option to Exclude Specific Websites
Inaccurate information is one of many big problems with ChatGPT, and sadly, this extends to the Deep Research feature. I can sift out certain websites when researching via search engines, but this is not the case when using Deep Research—which means I must be extra careful to double-check resources.
I’ve seen similar features in other types of apps, such as website blockers. The way that I see this, users could enter the URL to exclude a site from the search. I’d imagine this would increase how long it takes to complete these tasks, but it’d be a huge success.
8
Audio
ChatGPT has some cool voice features, but none apply to Deep Research. I have to write text prompts, and I receive written responses. While I’m normally happy with these searches, I would like to sometimes use audio.
In addition to speaking for Deep Research, I would appreciate written responses. I’d love for the tool to tell me about its findings and provide a transcript later. This would be interactive and beneficial to people who learn better through listening than reading.
OpenAI will inevitably add new features to ChatGPT’s Deep Research tool in due course, and I think it should prioritize some simple but effective additions. Customizable parameters would lead to more accurate findings, and having more control over information layout would also be nice.
