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Field Guide · level 5 · Office work, by task

How do you research a market, a supplier or a competitor with AI?

Brief a decision, get a cited report, write one checked page.

5 min · try it 10 min · as of Oct 2026
Bring this to your team · Team workshopsA hands-on session on your team's own decisions, from brief to checked note. Get in touch
01

Which supplier should we use?

It sent back a report taller than you.

02

Four steps, one page

Deep research does the reading. You do the deciding.

  1. Brief the decision
  2. Run deep research
  3. Check five claims
  4. Write one page
03

Brief the decision

Not just the topic:

  1. The decision and its deadline
  2. The question
  3. Sources you trust
  4. What you'll do with it
04

Point it at sources you trust

Name your sources. Check its plan, if it shows one. A cited report comes back.

My pick for research

ChatGPT logoChatGPT deep researchAlso good: Gemini logoGemini Deep Research

Choose the sites it reads and review its plan. Then open its sources before you share.

All my picks
05

Check the five it rests on

Find the claims your decision rests on. Check each on its page. Mark what fails.

06

Write one page

The decision. Three reasons, each with its source. What we still don't know.

07

The note is the work

The report is the input. Your checked page is what gets decided.

Try it · 10 minutes

Brief one public decision

Public questions only.

  1. Paste the filled brief into deep research.2 min
  2. Check its plan if shown, then let it run.1 min
  3. Pick five claims. Find each on its page.5 min
  4. Write the note: decision, three reasons, unknowns.2 min

The brief to fill in

Decision: which of [two or three named suppliers] to shortlist, by [date].
Question: how do they compare on [delivery times, minimum order, support]?
Sources: their own websites and public reports first. Skip ads and forums.
Use: a one-page note for my manager.
Cite every claim. List what you could not find.

Good looks likeOne page: three sourced reasons, failed claims marked.

In your assistant · as of Oct 2026 · Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini

From brief to report

Menus move often. Missing something? A rollout, your plan, country or admin may be why.

  • CheckYour company approves it
  • CheckNothing private in it
  • CheckSources you can open

My pickMy picks for research: ChatGPT's deep research when you want to choose the sites it reads, and Gemini's Deep Research when you want Gmail and Drive in the mix. Open the sources and check them before you share.

Use the tool your company approves for company data. That rule comes before mine.

Claude

Calls it Research. On Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise.

Start
/deep-research

Or “+”, then Research. Still see Chat and Cowork? Turn on web search, then use “+”.

Steer
+thenConnectors

Switch on only what it should read. Its help page shows no plan step, so name your sources in the brief.

Write

Ask for the note as a Claude Doc

Then share it by link, or export it.

Research runs on Opus 5.5, whatever model you picked. On the phone it searches the web only. It can use up your limits faster.

ChatGPT

Calls it Deep research.

Start
/Deepresearch

Or “+”, then Deep research, or the sidebar.

Steer
SitesthenManage sites

Limit it to the sites you enter, or prioritise them. Then review and edit its plan.

Keep

Download it as Word or PDF

Check its sources used section before you rely on it.

Limited on Free and Go, expanded on Plus, most on Pro. Also on Business and Enterprise, where your company allows it. Connected apps are read only during research.

Gemini

Calls it Deep Research.

Start
Add FilesthenDeep Research

In the text box at gemini.google.com.

Steer
Edit planthenStart research

Google Search is on by default. Add Gmail or Drive through the Google Workspace app, or turn Search off.

Keep
Share & exportthenExport to Docs

In the Canvas panel. A report usually takes 5 to 10 minutes.

18 or over. Daily limits, higher on Google AI Pro and Ultra. On a work account, your Workspace licence sets them.

Quick check · three questions

Did it stick?

  1. 1Your manager asks whether to switch couriers. What does your brief lead with?

    The answer: A A decision and a deadline tell it what to look for and what to skip. A topic gets you a survey.

  2. 2A key claim says 98 percent on time. Its page says 89. The other four hold. Now what?

    The answer: C You read the page yourself, so its figure is now checked. The note says what changed.

  3. 3A claim your decision rests on has no page you can open. Where does it go?

    The answer: B Not found on a page means not checked. Saying so lets the reader weigh it.
0 of 3 answered
Two sources disagree?Side note
Put both in the note, with their dates. Prefer the first-hand one: the maker's own page, the official figure, the company's own report.
Sizing a marketSide note
A market size is someone's estimate. In the note, say whose figure it is, which year it is for, and how they worked it out.
Work files in the mixSide note
Claude's Research also reads the connectors on in that chat, such as Gmail. ChatGPT's deep research reads connected apps without writing to them. Gemini can add Gmail or Drive.
Sources, checked 18 Oct 2026Source

Product details as of Oct 2026, each checked on the vendor's own page on 18 Oct 2026. Recheck by 18 Nov 2026. The examples in the pictures are made up for this lesson.

Free skillOne-page decision briefBring this to your teamTeam workshops · Get in touchBack to level 5, Office work, by task

One checked page.

Next lesson · 15 minHow do you write customer replies with AI and keep them right?