Can AI do research and retrieval work?

Research and retrieval work.

Most of the output can be produced by software today.

An agent can find, read and summarise the sources this work depends on, and it can cover far more of them than a person would ever open. What it does not do is decide which sources deserve trust, or what the findings mean for your situation.

Addressed by web, data and docs, generalist agents, builders, models and routing

Firecrawl Exa ChatGPT (agent mode)Claude n8n Zapier OpenRouter LiteLLM Whole landscape

All 134 activities of this kind.

Ordered by how many occupations perform them, so the work that affects the most people reads first.

Find134 of 134

Work activities, most widely performed first
Activity	Jobs
Attend training sessions or professional meetings to develop or maintain professional knowledge	56
Research topics in area of expertise	46
Stay informed about current developments in field of specialization	41
Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements	38
Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences	37
Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues	37
Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals	36
Maintain medical or professional knowledge	31
Study blueprints or other instructions to determine equipment setup requirements	23
Review blueprints or specifications to determine work requirements	23
Interview employees, customers, or others to collect information	23
Update knowledge about emerging industry or technology trends	21
Maintain knowledge of current developments in area of expertise	19
Maintain professional knowledge or certifications	19
Review professional literature to maintain professional knowledge	18
Search files, databases or reference materials to obtain needed information	17
Collect information from people through observation, interviews, or surveys	17
Conduct research to gain information about products or processes	17
Gather customer or product information to determine customer needs	16
Update technical knowledge	16
Update professional knowledge	16
Review technical documents to plan work	15
Gather medical information from patient histories	15
Review work orders or schedules to determine operations or procedures	14
Read technical information needed to perform maintenance or repairs	13
Investigate legal issues	13
Investigate the environmental impact of projects	13
Conduct research to inform art, designs, or other work	13
Interpret blueprints, specifications, or diagrams to inform installation, development or operation activities	12
Investigate illegal or suspicious activities	12
Obtain personal or financial information about customers or applicants	12
Maintain current knowledge related to work activities	12
Read work orders or descriptions of problems to determine repairs or modifications needed	11
Collect data about customer needs	11
Conduct research on social issues	11
Collect evidence for legal proceedings	10
Collect information about clients	10
Research diseases or parasites	10
Collect data about project sites	9
Research environmental impact of industrial or development activities	9
Observe individuals' activities to gather information or compile evidence	9
Interview clients to gather information about their backgrounds, needs, or progress	9
Study scripts to determine project requirements	8
Read documents to gather technical information	8
Collect archival data	8
Evaluate information related to legal matters in public or personal records	8
Research impacts of environmental conservation initiatives	8
Obtain written authorization to perform activities	8
Research relevant legal materials to aid decision making	7
Gather information about work conditions or locations	7
Obtain information about goods or services	7
Conduct opinion surveys or needs assessments	7
Examine characteristics or behavior of living organisms	7
Research advanced engineering designs or applications	7
Research new technologies	7
Investigate system, equipment, or product failures	7
Read maps to determine routes	6
Investigate crimes committed within organizations	6
Gather financial records	6
Gather organizational performance information	6
Monitor environmental impacts of production or development activities	6
Research crop management methods	6
Conduct market research	6
Conduct research of processes in natural or industrial ecosystems	6
Interview people to gather information about criminal activities	6
Interview witnesses, suspects, or claimants	6
Attend events to develop professional knowledge	6
Update knowledge of legal or regulatory environments	6
Attend conferences or workshops to maintain professional knowledge	6
Study product information to acquire professional knowledge	6
Review art or design materials	5
Read materials to determine needed actions	5
Review details of technical drawings or specifications	5
Read work orders to determine material or setup requirements	5
Examine crime scenes to obtain evidence	5
Examine records or other types of data to investigate criminal activities	5
Conduct hearings to investigate legal issues	5
Obtain property information	5
Use databases to locate investigation details or other information	5
Gather information in order to provide services to clients	5
Gather physical survey data	5
Conduct climatological research	5
Conduct surveys in organizations	5
Research industrial processes or operations	5
Identify environmental concerns	5
Evaluate environmental impact of operational or development activities	5
Research genetic characteristics or expression	5
Research microbiological or chemical processes or structures	5
Classify organisms based on their characteristics or behavior	5
Obtain documentation to authorize activities	5
Obtain copyrights or other legal permissions	5
Research design or application of green technologies	5
Investigate accidents to determine causes	5
Investigate safety of work environment	5
Interview patients to gather medical information	5
Maintain professional social services knowledge	5
Maintain knowledge of business operations	5
Search information sources to find specific data	4
Research hydrologic features or processes	4
Conduct scientific research of organizational behavior or processes	4
Research issues related to the environment or sustainable business practices	4
Investigate personal characteristics or activities of individuals	4
Collect information about community health needs	4
Research engineering aspects of biological or chemical processes	4
Research engineering applications of emerging technologies	4
Research energy production, use, or conservation	4
Investigate work related complaints to determine corrective actions	4
Interview clients to gather financial information	4
Interview people to obtain information about actions or status of individuals	4
Attend educational events to update medical knowledge	4
Study details of musical compositions	3
Review production information to determine costume or makeup requirements	3
Review customer information	3
Evaluate reports or designs to determine work needs	3
Research geological features or processes	3
Research sustainable agricultural processes or practices	3
Conduct anthropological or archaeological research	3
Conduct historical research	3
Research human performance or health factors related to engineering or design activities	3
Research methods to improve food products	3
Examine debris to obtain information about causes of fires	3
Investigate transportation incidents, violations, or complaints	3
Investigate industrial or transportation accidents	3
Interview others for news or entertainment purposes	3
Interview claimants to get information related to legal proceedings	3
Update job related knowledge or skills	3
Attend training to learn new skills or update knowledge	3
Retrieve information from electronic sources	2
Gather information for news stories	2
Research livestock management methods	2
Maintain knowledge of laws or regulations	2
Review laws or regulations to maintain professional knowledge	2
Review audio or video recordings	1
Research product safety	1