Introducing Research Agents: Scalable, AI-Powered Web Research

We’re excited to introduce Research Agents - a powerful new feature in Dcipher Analytics that transforms web-based research. Traditional methods, whether manual or automated, have significant limitations. Research Agents overcome these challenges by combining human-like flexibility with the speed and scalability of AI-driven automation.

Three Approaches to Research - and Why Research Agents Stand Out

1. Manual Research – This approach is highly flexible but extremely time-consuming, requiring researchers to search, analyze, and compile information step by step.
2. Traditional Automated Research – Many automation tools follow a predefined, linear workflow. For example, they might first scrape data, then extract relevant information, and finally summarize it. While faster than manual research, this method is rigid and cannot adjust based on new findings.
3. AI-Driven Research Agents (New Approach) – Research Agents break away from rigid workflows. Instead of following a fixed sequence, they continuously evaluate results after each step and adjust their approach dynamically. This means they can shift priorities, explore new sources, or refine searches based on real-time findings - just like a human researcher, but at an exponentially greater scale and speed.

Smarter, More Adaptive Research

With Research Agents, you simply define your research task, and the agent autonomously determines the best strategy. It might start with a web search, then decide to explore specific websites, download reports, extract key insights, and even refine its queries - all in an intelligent, iterative process.

Scalable & Parallelized Research

What makes Dcipher’s Research Agents unique is their ability to scale. They can execute thousands of research tasks simultaneously, adjusting for different countries, languages, or topics. For example, you can:

• Research trends in 100 different countries, using local search engines and languages.
• Track 50 companies across 10 dimensions (e.g., investments, leadership changes, product launches).
• Analyze multiple industries and emerging trends in parallel.

From Data to Insights

Once the research is complete, results can be downloaded directly or fed into Insight Booster for advanced analysis, including horizon scanning, competitor analysis, and automated report generation.

Real-World Impact

One example: UNDP needed to analyze sustainability best practices across 100 cities, covering seven key dimensions - resulting in 700 distinct research tasks. Using Dcipher’s Research Agents, this complex research was completed in a fraction of the time, generating concrete insights to guide urban sustainability initiatives.

How to Access Research Agents

Research Agents are now available inside Insight Booster as a new option for creating a knowledge base. To learn more, visit our Automated Research Solutions page You can also explore the full UNDP Customer Success Story to see how Research Agents powered large-scale sustainability research.

Ready to see it in action? Get in touch with us today.