OpenAI, the US tech giant behind ChatGPT, unveiled a new feature called “Deep Research” on Monday, as it prepares for high-level meetings in Tokyo. This announcement comes amid rising competition in the AI sector, fueled by China’s DeepSeek chatbot.

DeepSeek, a recent entrant to the artificial intelligence market, has caused a stir in Silicon Valley with its high performance and reportedly low cost. Some analysts are calling it a wake-up call for US developers.

OpenAI, which brought generative AI into the global spotlight with ChatGPT in 2022, claims its new tool can deliver results in minutes that would take humans hours to achieve.

“With a simple prompt, ChatGPT can analyze, synthesize, and compile data from hundreds of online sources, producing a detailed report akin to the work of a professional research analyst,” OpenAI said in a statement.

During a livestream demonstration, OpenAI researchers showcased how Deep Research could rapidly process web data to recommend ski equipment for a trip to Japan.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman described the tool as “compute-intensive and slow” but emphasized its significance. “This is the first AI system capable of performing such a wide range of complex, valuable tasks,” he wrote on social media platform X. The feature will be available 100 times per month for paid “Pro” ChatGPT users.

Altman is currently in Tokyo to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son. The two leaders are expected to announce plans to enhance Japan’s AI infrastructure during a forum attended by around 500 business representatives.

According to The Nikkei, these plans include the construction of AI data centers and power plants, though the scale of the investment remains unclear.

SoftBank and OpenAI are also part of the Stargate initiative, previously announced by former US President Donald Trump, which aims to channel up to $500 billion into AI infrastructure development in the United States.

Prime Minister Ishiba is scheduled to visit Washington later this week for his first in-person meeting with Trump.

In an interview with The Nikkei, Altman expressed interest in developing “a new kind of hardware” powered by AI, in collaboration with Jony Ive, Apple’s former chief design officer. However, he cautioned that unveiling a prototype could take several years.

Altman acknowledged DeepSeek as a competitive model but dismissed claims of groundbreaking innovation. He stated, “DeepSeek highlights the serious competition in AI reasoning technology, but its capability level isn’t new.”

The emergence of DeepSeek has sparked allegations of reverse-engineering US technology, including AI systems powering ChatGPT. OpenAI recently warned that Chinese firms are actively working to replicate its advanced models, prompting closer collaboration with US authorities.

On social media, users compared DeepSeek’s “thinking mode” with OpenAI’s Deep Research, noting similarities in functionality and performance.

Although OpenAI has not disclosed Altman’s full itinerary, reports suggest he is set to travel to Seoul on Tuesday to meet with executives from IT conglomerate Kakao.