OpenAI has unveiled a streamlined, more affordable version of its ChatGPT deep research tool, designed to be lighter on resources. This ‘lightweight’ model is now accessible to both free and paying subscribers across multiple tiers. Powered by a variant of OpenAI’s o4-mini model, the company claims it offers intelligence ‘nearly’ on par with the original deep research mode, known for generating extensive reports with citations and process summaries.
According to OpenAI, the ‘lightweight’ version delivers responses that are ‘shorter while maintaining the depth and quality you’ve come to expect.’ While the comprehensive deep research model remains exclusive to paid users, the new lightweight option is being rolled out to free users, who will be allotted five tasks per month. Paid users also benefit, with the lightweight version activating automatically when they reach rate limits on the original deep research feature. This provides Team and Plus users with a combined total of 25 monthly tasks across both versions, while Pro users receive 250. Enterprise and Education users can expect access next week, with the same limitations as Team and Plus subscribers.
Crucially, OpenAI emphasizes that the new iteration is ‘significantly cheaper’ to operate. This is particularly important given the company’s considerable expenses, reportedly ‘tens of millions of dollars,’ just for processing basic user interactions.