AI Deep Research Across Sources with Athena

Conduct comprehensive, multi-source research with AI-powered analysis and citations!

Overview
Available Sources
Using Deep Research
Use Cases
Research Quality

Deep Research is Athena’s advanced research capability that conducts in-depth investigations across multiple sources using sophisticated AI models. Unlike simple search or browsing, Deep Research autonomously plans research sub-questions, searches across configured sources, synthesizes findings, and produces structured, citation-rich reports.Deep Research leverages OpenAI’s specialized research models (o3-deep-research and o4-mini-deep-research) to perform comprehensive analysis that would typically require hours of manual research. The system automatically formulates research strategies, gathers information from multiple sources, cross-references findings, and presents results in a coherent, well-documented format.

Key Features

Multi-Source Research

Deep Research searches across multiple sources simultaneously, including web content, internal documents, emails, meetings, SharePoint files, and more. This comprehensive approach ensures you gather information from all relevant sources rather than limiting research to a single domain.

Autonomous Research Planning

The AI autonomously breaks down complex research questions into sub-questions, determines optimal search strategies, and adapts its approach based on findings. This intelligent planning ensures thorough coverage of research topics without requiring manual guidance.

Citation-Rich Reports

All findings include citations to source materials, enabling you to verify information and explore sources in depth. Citations link directly to source documents, web pages, emails, or meeting transcripts for easy reference.

Configurable Summary Levels

Choose between automatic and detailed summary levels based on your needs. Automatic mode provides balanced summaries suitable for most use cases, while detailed mode produces comprehensive reports with extensive analysis.

Model Selection

Select between o3-deep-research for higher quality, more thorough analysis or o4-mini-deep-research for faster results. Choose the model that best balances your needs for depth and speed.

Transparent Research Process

Track research progress as Deep Research works, seeing which sources are being searched, what sub-questions are being investigated, and how findings are being synthesized. This transparency helps you understand the research methodology and trust the results.

Research Sources

Deep Research can search across multiple sources to gather comprehensive information. The available sources depend on your workspace configuration and permissions.

Standard Sources

These sources are available to all users based on their workspace configuration:Web

Search the internet for external information, news, articles, research papers, and public content
Ideal for gathering industry trends, competitive intelligence, and general knowledge
Provides access to the broadest range of information sources

Olympus Assets

Search through all documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and assets in your workspace
Access internal knowledge, project files, reports, and organizational content
Ensures research includes your organization’s proprietary information and context

SharePoint (workspace-dependent)

Search through SharePoint files and documents across connected SharePoint sites
Available for workspaces with SharePoint integration configured
Provides access to enterprise content management systems and shared drives

Email

Search through internal emails and communications in your workspace
Find relevant discussions, decisions, and information shared via email
Useful for understanding historical context and stakeholder perspectives

Meetings

Search through meeting recordings, transcripts, and meeting notes
Extract insights from discussions, decisions made in meetings, and action items
Valuable for understanding organizational knowledge shared verbally

Admin-Only Sources

These sources are available only to workspace administrators for specialized research needs:Calendar (admin-only)

Search through calendar events and meeting metadata
Useful for understanding scheduling patterns, meeting frequency, and organizational rhythms
Restricted to administrators due to privacy considerations

GitHub (admin-only)

Search through Athena-Intel/demo-app-monorepo repository code on the staging branch
Available for technical research and codebase analysis
Restricted to administrators for security purposes

Sourcegraph (admin-only)

Search through Athena-Intel/demo-app-monorepo repository via Sourcegraph
Provides advanced code search capabilities for technical research
Restricted to administrators for security purposes

Source Selection

When initiating Deep Research, you can specify which sources to include in your research. By default, Deep Research uses all available sources, but you can limit research to specific sources when appropriate:

Web-only research: For external market research or competitive intelligence
Internal-only research: For sensitive topics that should not query external sources
Specific source combinations: For targeted research that requires particular types of information

Step-by-Step Guide

Formulate Your Research Question

Start with a clear, specific research question or topic. Deep Research works best with well-defined questions that have clear objectives.

Example Research Questions

“What are the latest trends in enterprise AI adoption and how are competitors positioning their offerings?”
“Analyze our internal discussions and external market data about product feature X to determine customer demand and competitive landscape”
“Research regulatory requirements for data privacy across EU, US, and APAC markets”

Select Athena Assist with Deep Research

In the chat UI, select Athena Assist and ensure the Deep Research tool is available. You may need to explicitly request Deep Research for complex research tasks.

Provide Research Context

Give Athena context about your research goals, intended use of findings, and any specific constraints or focus areas. This helps Deep Research prioritize relevant information.

Example with Context

I need to research enterprise AI adoption trends for a board presentation next week. Focus on:
Market size and growth projections
Key competitors and their positioning
Customer pain points and buying criteria
Our internal discussions about market opportunities
Please search across web sources and our internal workspace documents.

Configure Research Parameters (Optional)

Optionally specify:

Model: o3-deep-research (higher quality) or o4-mini-deep-research (faster)
Summary Level: auto (balanced) or detailed (comprehensive)
Sources: Specific sources to include or exclude
Research Title: Custom title for the research run

Monitor Research Progress

Deep Research provides updates as it works, showing which sources are being searched, what sub-questions are being investigated, and preliminary findings. This process may take several minutes for comprehensive research.

Review Research Report

Once complete, Deep Research presents a structured report with:

Executive summary of key findings
Detailed analysis organized by sub-topics
Citations to all source materials
Recommendations or conclusions based on findings

Explore Citations

Click on citations to view source materials directly. This allows you to verify findings, gather additional context, and explore topics in more depth.

Create Deliverables

Use research findings to create documents, presentations, or reports. Deep Research results can be exported to Athena Docs or other formats for sharing with stakeholders.

Best Practices

Clarify Your Research Question

Before starting Deep Research, clarify your research question by considering:

What specific information do you need?
What will you do with the research findings?
What constraints or focus areas should guide the research?
What sources are most relevant to your question?

The more specific your research question, the more targeted and useful the results will be.

Choose the Right Model

Use o3-deep-research when:

Research quality is paramount
You need comprehensive, thorough analysis
The topic is complex and requires nuanced understanding
You have time for longer research runs

Use o4-mini-deep-research when:

Speed is important
You need quick insights on a straightforward topic
You’re doing exploratory research to determine if deeper investigation is warranted
You need preliminary findings before committing to comprehensive research

Select Appropriate Sources

Include web sources when:

You need external market data, competitive intelligence, or industry trends
Research requires current news or recent developments
You’re investigating topics outside your organization’s direct knowledge

Include internal sources when:

Research requires organizational context or proprietary information
You need to understand internal discussions, decisions, or perspectives
You’re investigating topics specific to your company or projects

Limit sources when:

Research involves sensitive topics that shouldn’t query external sources
You want to focus on specific types of information
You need to control research scope for time or relevance reasons

Iterate on Findings

Deep Research results can inform follow-up research:

Use initial findings to formulate more specific research questions
Conduct targeted research on sub-topics that emerge as particularly relevant
Combine Deep Research with other Athena capabilities (Browser, Notebooks) for deeper analysis

Market Research and Analysis

Conduct comprehensive market research combining external market data, competitor intelligence, and internal discussions to inform strategic decisions and market positioning.

Competitive Intelligence

Research competitor strategies, product offerings, pricing, and market positioning by analyzing public information alongside internal assessments and customer feedback.

Regulatory Compliance Research

Investigate regulatory requirements, compliance obligations, and legal frameworks across jurisdictions by searching regulatory websites, legal databases, and internal compliance documentation.

Customer Research and Insights

Analyze customer needs, pain points, and preferences by researching external customer feedback, reviews, and market research alongside internal customer communications and meeting discussions.

Technology Evaluation

Research technologies, tools, or platforms for potential adoption by analyzing external reviews, documentation, and case studies alongside internal technical discussions and requirements.

Strategic Planning Research

Gather comprehensive information for strategic planning by researching market trends, competitive landscape, internal capabilities, and organizational discussions to inform strategic decisions.

Due Diligence

Conduct due diligence research on companies, partnerships, or investments by analyzing public information, news, financial data, and internal assessment documents.

Industry Trend Analysis

Research emerging trends, technologies, or methodologies in your industry by analyzing thought leadership content, research papers, news, and internal discussions about market evolution.

Product Research

Investigate product opportunities, feature requirements, or market fit by researching customer needs, competitive offerings, market trends, and internal product discussions.

Risk Assessment

Research potential risks, threats, or challenges by analyzing external risk factors, industry incidents, regulatory changes, and internal risk assessments and discussions.

Academic and Literature Review

Conduct literature reviews or academic research by searching research papers, academic articles, and scholarly sources alongside internal research and analysis.

Policy and Best Practice Research

Research industry best practices, policy frameworks, or operational standards by analyzing external guidance, case studies, and internal policy documents and discussions.

Ensuring High-Quality Research

Provide Clear Context

The quality of Deep Research results depends significantly on the clarity and specificity of your research question. Provide:

Specific objectives: What do you need to learn or decide?
Intended use: How will you use the research findings?
Constraints: Any limitations on scope, sources, or focus areas?
Background: Relevant context that helps frame the research

Verify Critical Findings

While Deep Research provides citations for all findings, it’s good practice to:

Review citations for critical findings that will inform important decisions
Verify that sources are authoritative and current
Cross-reference findings across multiple sources when possible
Consult subject matter experts for highly specialized or technical topics

Understand Source Limitations

Different sources have different strengths and limitations:

Web sources: Broad coverage but may include outdated or inaccurate information
Internal sources: Authoritative for organizational context but may lack external perspective
Email and meetings: Valuable for understanding discussions but may reflect opinions rather than facts
SharePoint: Comprehensive for enterprise content but may include draft or outdated documents

Combine with Human Expertise

Deep Research is most effective when combined with human expertise:

Use Deep Research to gather comprehensive information quickly
Apply your domain expertise to interpret findings and identify gaps
Conduct targeted follow-up research on areas requiring deeper investigation
Validate findings with subject matter experts before making critical decisions

Research Transparency

Deep Research provides transparency into its research process:

Source attribution: All findings cite specific sources
Research methodology: See which sub-questions were investigated and why
Search queries: Understand what searches were performed across sources
Reasoning: View the AI’s reasoning about how findings relate to your research question

This transparency enables you to:

Verify the research methodology
Understand how conclusions were reached
Identify potential gaps or biases in the research
Determine if additional research is needed

Web Toolkit

Use Search and Browse tools for quick web research

Browser

Automate complex browser workflows for authenticated research

Notebooks

Analyze Deep Research findings programmatically with Python

Docs

Create polished reports and presentations from research findings

​Key Features

​Multi-Source Research

​Autonomous Research Planning

​Citation-Rich Reports

​Configurable Summary Levels

​Model Selection

​Transparent Research Process

​Research Sources

​Standard Sources

​Admin-Only Sources

​Source Selection

​Step-by-Step Guide

​Best Practices

​Clarify Your Research Question

​Choose the Right Model

​Select Appropriate Sources

​Iterate on Findings

Market Research and Analysis

Competitive Intelligence

Regulatory Compliance Research

Customer Research and Insights

Technology Evaluation

Strategic Planning Research

Due Diligence

Industry Trend Analysis

Product Research

Risk Assessment

Academic and Literature Review

Policy and Best Practice Research

​Ensuring High-Quality Research

​Provide Clear Context

​Verify Critical Findings

​Understand Source Limitations

​Combine with Human Expertise

​Research Transparency

​Related Documentation

Web Toolkit

Browser

Notebooks

Docs

Key Features

Multi-Source Research

Autonomous Research Planning

Citation-Rich Reports

Configurable Summary Levels

Model Selection

Transparent Research Process

Research Sources

Standard Sources

Admin-Only Sources

Source Selection

Step-by-Step Guide

Best Practices

Clarify Your Research Question

Choose the Right Model

Select Appropriate Sources

Iterate on Findings

Ensuring High-Quality Research

Provide Clear Context

Verify Critical Findings

Understand Source Limitations

Combine with Human Expertise

Research Transparency

Related Documentation