Lesson 37 · 3 min
Web search and deep research modes
Search lets a chatbot look things up before answering, and deep research modes do many searches and write a longer report with sources.
With web search on, the chatbot runs a search, reads a few pages and answers from them. This is a form of grounding: the answer is tied to real pages, which usually come with links.
Deep research modes go further. You give a bigger question, and the tool plans, searches many times, reads dozens of pages and writes a structured report. It can take several minutes.
These modes are useful for comparing options, getting up to speed on a topic or collecting background for a decision. They save hours of clicking.
They still make mistakes. A tool can read a weak source, misread a page or cite a link that does not say what it claims. Open the key sources yourself before you rely on a number or quote.
Do it now
Run a small research job
- 1. Pick a real decision, like choosing a laptop or a training course.
- 2. Use a search or deep research mode with the prompt below.
- 3. Open three of the sources it cites and check they say what the report claims.
Research [YOUR QUESTION]. Compare the main options in a table, list the sources you used with links, and mark anything you are unsure about.
Quick check
Keep going
Next →RLHF: how people shape AI answersWords from this lesson
- Deep research
- A chatbot mode that searches many web pages over several minutes and writes a longer report with sources.
- Grounding
- Tying an AI's answer to real sources you supply or it looks up, so claims can be checked instead of invented.
- Tool use
- An AI's ability to call outside tools, such as a calculator, web search or calendar, to do things it cannot do alone.