Editorial illustration for ChatGPT deep research tool adds built-in viewer and jump-to-section TOC
ChatGPT Deep Research: AI Analyst Tool Unveiled
ChatGPT deep research tool adds built-in viewer and jump-to-section TOC
OpenAI’s research‑focused interface has been quietly evolving, but until now users have had to copy‑paste outputs into external apps to skim long‑form analyses. The latest update targets that friction point, turning a static text dump into something you can actually flip through. While the underlying model still generates the same depth of insight, the front‑end now includes a scrollable viewer that renders the full report within the chat window.
On top of that, a fresh table of contents appears, letting you jump straight to headings like “Methodology” or “Key Findings” without scrolling line by line. For professionals who treat the tool as a research assistant, that kind of navigation can shave minutes off a workflow that often feels like reading a PDF in a browser. It’s a modest but tangible shift—one that moves the experience from “copy‑and‑paste” to a more integrated reading environment.
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ChatGPT's deep research tool adds a built-in document viewer so you can read its reports.
ChatGPT's deep research tool adds a built-in document viewer so you can read its reports You can also open a new table of contents that allows you to jump to specific sections of the report. You can also open a new table of contents that allows you to jump to specific sections of the report. Deep research, which OpenAI first launched last year, has ChatGPT scour the web to compile an in-depth report about the topic of your choosing.
With this most recent update, you'll be able to ask ChatGPT to focus on specific websites and connected apps for its research. You can also track ChatGPT's progress in real-time, as well as edit the scope of its research or add new sources while the chatbot generates a report.
Will the new viewer make deep research reports easier to digest? OpenAI says the update adds a full‑screen document window that lives apart from the chat pane, letting users scroll through AI‑generated reports in isolation. On the left, a table of contents appears; on the right, a list of sources is displayed.
The layout lets readers jump directly to any section, which could reduce the time spent hunting for details. Yet the announcement offers no data on how the feature performs with longer documents or whether it integrates with existing citation tools. The video demonstration shows the interface in action, but real‑world testing remains limited.
Users may appreciate the visual separation, but it is unclear whether the added pane will clutter the overall experience on smaller screens. In short, the built‑in viewer introduces a clearer navigation structure, though its practical impact on research workflows has yet to be measured. OpenAI’s move reflects an effort to make AI‑generated content more transparent, but the benefits will depend on user adoption and further refinement.
Further Reading
- ChatGPT — Release Notes - OpenAI Help Center
- Introducing deep research - OpenAI
- ChatGPT New Features & Updates (2025): Complete Breakdown - Mindliftly
- NEW ChatGPT Features Explained in 2025! (Full Guide for Beginners) - YouTube
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Common Questions Answered
How does the new Deep Research document viewer improve report readability?
The new viewer adds a full-screen document window separate from the chat pane, allowing users to scroll through AI-generated reports in isolation. It includes a table of contents on the left and a list of sources on the right, enabling users to jump directly to specific sections and quickly navigate complex research reports.
What are the usage limits for Deep Research across different ChatGPT subscription tiers?
ChatGPT Pro subscribers receive 250 queries per month (half being 'lightweight'), while Plus, Team, and Enterprise users get 25 queries monthly (15 being 'lightweight'). Free users are limited to 5 'lightweight' queries per month, with the lightweight version based on the o4-mini model instead of the full o3 model.
How does ChatGPT's Deep Research feature perform on complex research benchmarks?
Deep Research scored 26.6% on the 'Humanity's Last Exam' benchmark, significantly outperforming competitors like DeepSeek's R1 model (9.4%) and GPT-4o (3.3%). However, OpenAI acknowledges that the system can occasionally make factual hallucinations or incorrect inferences, and may sometimes reference rumors without accurately conveying uncertainty.