Let a research agent collect and structure information with traceable sources.
Discuss your projectAn AI research agent collects and organises information around an agreed research question. Useful output is a checkable dossier: relevant findings, references to original sources, differences between sources and unanswered questions. I design source selection, research steps and output with the person reviewing the work. This can suit recurring market exploration, product comparison or customer-meeting preparation. If the main task is searching your own documents, a business knowledge base with RAG may be a better fit.
This suits teams that regularly review similar public or authorised sources and spend significant time collecting and organising material. The question needs enough definition to assess relevant findings and recognise missing information.
A research agent does not guarantee complete or correct research. Inaccessible documents, incomplete publications and conflicting sources remain limitations. For consequential decisions, an accountable person should examine the relevant original material.
A research agent is useful when readers can check its findings. I define source preferences, freshness limits and the distinction between facts, estimates and inferences. For each conclusion, we retain the source, relevant passage and access date where technically available. [1]
Search and summarization are assessed separately: did the agent find relevant material, and does it actually support the conclusion? External pages may contain misleading instructions. The agent therefore receives bounded execution rights and must identify unresolved contradictions or missing evidence. [2]
Choose based on the task, the people involved and what you can maintain.
| Approach | Useful when | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| RSS or source monitor | Identify new publications appearing on a fixed source list. | Simpler to bound; interpretation and comparison remain with a person. |
| Research agent with fixed sources | Apply the same recurring question to known sources. | Coverage is clearer, but developments outside the selection may be missed. |
| Research agent with broader search | Discover additional sources, products or market participants. | Requires more review of provenance, timeliness, duplication and unreliable publications. |
| Manual in-depth research | The question is one-off, sensitive to interpretation or critical to an important decision. | Requires more human time and creates room to investigate original documents and opposing evidence. |
A useful estimate starts with the scope. I distinguish development work from recurring usage and operating costs. These are the main drivers:
A team looks up the same market or product information every week.
Research using internal information needs a defined AI knowledge base and access rules. A RAG system can retrieve relevant source passages for the research agent. Also agree which sources are allowed, how references are checked and when the agent must report that information is insufficient.
Which sources are permitted, and how current must the information be?
Use the prerequisites, acceptance checks and cost factors above to define your assignment. Agree who can approve the outcome and who will maintain the solution. The project approach explains discovery, delivery and handover.
Read the project approachThat can form part of the agreed design if the sources are accessible in time. We agree a frequency, selection and notification approach. A successful run does not establish that every development has been found.
We assess whether the source is accessible, whether its content supports the claim and whether the date fits the question. Evaluation includes incorrect or missing references. A list of links alone is insufficient.
We design output for its intended use, while agreeing the necessary substantive review first. Findings, interpretations and uncertainty should remain recognisable. Rights to use the underlying material also form part of that assessment.
These primary sources explain the technical principles behind this guide. The project recommendations are OXIAE’s interpretation; they do not imply endorsement by the publishers. Product documentation applies to the named platform.
Example of assessing retrieval and answer quality separately.
Link and relevance checked:Risk of instructions embedded in external sources.
Link and relevance checked:Exploring AI research agent? Use the project checklist to describe your task, systems and intended outcome. Collect open questions and download a brief for your conversation.
Create your project brief