Tokyo, Japan – February 5, 2025
US tech giant OpenAI on Monday introduced a new ChatGPT-powered tool called “Deep Research,” designed to generate detailed reports in minutes—an innovation that comes as China’s DeepSeek chatbot intensifies competition in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector.
The announcement was made in Tokyo, where OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also revealed a joint venture with Japan’s SoftBank Group to expand AI services for businesses. Altman and SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son are scheduled to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba later on Monday, with reports suggesting new plans to bolster Japan’s AI infrastructure.
Deep Research: A Game-Changer for Analysts
OpenAI described Deep Research as a tool that can complete in minutes what would take human analysts hours.
“You give it a prompt, and ChatGPT will find, analyze, and synthesize hundreds of online sources to create a comprehensive report at the level of a research analyst,” OpenAI said in a statement.
Altman acknowledged on social media platform X that the feature, currently available to ChatGPT Pro users with 100 uses per month, is computationally demanding and relatively slow. However, at a Tokyo business forum, he emphasized its significance:
“This is a system that I think can do a single-digit percentage of all economically valuable tasks in the world.”
SoftBank Partnership and Japan’s AI Push
At the same event, SoftBank’s Son announced a new 50-50 joint venture with OpenAI. Holding a purple crystal ball, he introduced a new AI service called Cristal, which will analyze business data, emails, and meetings to enhance corporate decision-making.
A joint statement said SoftBank would invest $3 billion annually to integrate OpenAI’s technology into its network of companies. Reports also suggest that the Japanese government is preparing to develop AI data centers and energy infrastructure, mirroring the $500 billion Stargate AI initiative announced by former US President Donald Trump.
DeepSeek: China’s Disruptor in the AI Race
Meanwhile, DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, is causing ripples in Silicon Valley with its high-performance and cost-effective chatbot. Some analysts see it as a wake-up call for US developers.
Reports indicate that DeepSeek’s pricing is 20 to 40 times cheaper than OpenAI’s. For instance:
- OpenAI charges $2.50 per million tokens
- DeepSeek charges just $0.014 per million tokens
This significant price gap has led startups—especially in Europe—to switch from ChatGPT to DeepSeek to save costs.
“It took us minutes to switch,” said Hemanth Mandapati, CEO of Germany-based Novo AI, at a recent AI conference in Sweden.
Despite concerns about potential data copying and content censorship, DeepSeek’s rise is seen as a game-changer that could force AI companies to improve their models and lower prices.
Altman Responds to DeepSeek Competition
Amid speculation about intellectual property issues, Altman dismissed the idea of suing DeepSeek.
“No, we have no plans to sue DeepSeek right now. We are just going to continue to build great products and lead the world in model capability.”
He acknowledged DeepSeek’s strengths but maintained that OpenAI remains at the cutting edge of AI development.
What’s Next for OpenAI?
After Tokyo, Altman is reportedly traveling to Seoul, South Korea, where OpenAI is expected to announce a collaboration with IT giant Kakao. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ishiba is preparing to visit Washington, D.C., later this week to meet Trump for their first in-person discussion on AI infrastructure cooperation.
As AI competition heats up globally, OpenAI’s Deep Research and DeepSeek’s affordable AI models signal a new phase in the race for AI dominance.
