Deep Research saves hours on information gathering

Hey AI Enthusiast,

Google just launched Deep Research in NotebookLM - an AI-powered research assistant helping users tackle complex topics, synthesize reports, and organize information instantly after updates showed automated research cuts hours of manual work down to minutes.

The system activates through NotebookLM's source panel, creates custom research plans from your questions, browses websites on your behalf, and works alongside existing sources turning scattered information into structured knowledge bases automatically.

But first, here's today's killer prompt and Tool Tuesday update from OpenAI (then I'll tell you how Deep Research transforms the way you handle complex projects...)

🔥 Prompt of the Day 🔥

Smart Campaign Budget Pacing Tool

Create One AI-Optimized Spend Controller

Act as a paid media specialist. Create one AI budget pacing system for [CAMPAIGN TYPE] that prevents overspend and underdelivery.

Essential Details:

• Campaign Duration: [DAYS/MONTHS]

• Total Budget: [AMOUNT]

• Daily Fluctuation: [ACCEPTABLE VARIANCE]

• Performance Goal: [TARGET METRIC]

• Platform: [WHERE ADS RUN]

• AI Adjustment: [REAL-TIME/DAILY]

Create one pacing system including:

1. Budget allocation algorithm

2. Performance-based adjustment rules

3. Underspend catch-up logic

4. Overspend prevention triggers

5. Weekend/weekday pacing differences

6. Alert threshold settings

Never overspend or underdeliver again. Keep under 200 words total.

🤖 OpenAI Fixes Em Dash Problem  🤖

OpenAI says ChatGPT will now ditch the em dashes if you tell it to.

The telltale sign that supposedly signals text written by AI has popped up everywhere in recent months, including in school papers, emails, comments, customer service chats, LinkedIn posts, online forums, ad copy, and more.

What's actually different:

• Custom instructions now control punctuation - Tell ChatGPT not to use em dashes in your settings and the system finally respects your preference eliminating the "ChatGPT hyphen" from output

• Writers regain authentic voice control - Users who never used em dashes before LLMs can now generate content matching their natural style without fighting default formatting patterns

• Problem that stumped OpenAI gets resolved - Months of user complaints about inability to stop em dash usage despite explicit requests finally addressed through backend improvements

• Small win signals bigger instruction adherence - Fix demonstrates custom instructions working properly suggesting other style preferences may follow commands more accurately going forward

• Detection markers become less obvious - AI-generated content grows harder to identify when punctuation matches individual writing patterns instead of universal chatbot defaults

Writing workflows fundamentally shifted.

ChatGPT stays dominant despite stylistic quirks annoying users across every content type from academic to professional communication.

The "ChatGPT hyphen" became objectionable not because em dashes were wrong but because overuse signaled laziness and automation to readers.

Many writers argued they used em dashes long before LLMs existed - yet chatbots couldn't avoid the punctuation making legitimate style choices suspect.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called the fix a "small-but-happy win" acknowledging user frustration while celebrating technical progress.

Those who adjust their custom instructions right now produce AI content that reads more naturally than default outputs.

The fix shows OpenAI actually listens to feedback instead of ignoring complaints about writing style preferences.

Writers who configure their settings properly gain an edge as their content becomes less detectable while others keep using obvious AI patterns.

🤔 Did You Know? 🤔

AI can now predict which employees will quit their jobs up to six months in advance by analyzing subtle changes in email patterns, meeting participation, and project completion rates that managers never notice.

🗞️ Breaking AI News 🗞️

Google just released Deep Research for NotebookLM bringing automated research assistance that responds instantly, collects information, and synthesizes comprehensive reports without manual browsing or source tracking.

The system activates through NotebookLM's source panel using your questions to create custom research plans browsing websites naturally then delivering source-grounded reports directly into your workspace without interruption.

Here's what changed:

• Automated research maintains workflow continuity - Ask questions and Deep Research browses websites on your behalf while you continue adding other sources, completing full briefings within minutes versus hours manually

• Intelligent planning turns questions into structured investigations - System generates research plans from initial queries then executes systematically achieving thorough information gathering completing background research while you focus on analysis

• Dual-mode options match investigation depth to time constraints - Choose Deep Research for comprehensive briefings requiring complete context or Fast Research for quick answers needing immediate surface-level information

• Custom report generation replaces manual synthesis work - Receive source-grounded documents ready for notebook integration instead of piecing together findings from scattered browser tabs requiring constant organizational effort

• Expanded file support streamlines source management - Upload Google Sheets, Drive URLs, PDFs, and Word documents directly generating summaries from spreadsheets and batch-processing multiple files through simple copy-paste operations

Google's approach to automated research fundamentally changed information gathering workflows.

Traditional research methods require opening multiple browser tabs because they lack coordination systems and can't synthesize scattered findings automatically.

Manual investigation teams can't match automated exploration speeds where AI browses systematically following logical paths researchers might miss during time-pressured deadline work.

Deep Research handles background investigation while you maintain forward momentum - existing research workflows get preserved while automation handles tedious collection tasks naturally.

NotebookLM built comprehensive features consistently since late 2023 launch adding Video Overviews, Audio Overviews generating AI podcasts, and mobile apps for Android and iOS bringing capabilities beyond desktop restrictions.

Other platforms are still planning their research features while Google already deployed working automation.

Early adopters get access to capabilities that save hours daily on information gathering and synthesis.

The updates become available across all accounts within seven days - no waitlists or premium tiers required.

Users who start implementing Deep Research today build knowledge bases faster than manual methods allow.

Over to You...

What's one research task you'd hand off to Deep Research today?

Hit reply and share.

To streamlined workflows,

Jeff J. Hunter & Valentin Molina
Founders, AI Persona Method | World's Largest AI Community (3.4M)