Hands‑On with Skywork AI – Can This AI Really Replace Your Research Workflow?

Last updated on November 12th, 2025 at 09:45 am

What is Skywork AI?

Skywork AI launched globally in mid‑2025 as a cross‑platform workspace powered by a proprietary DeepResearchengine.

The company behind it, Kunlun Tech, partnered with Singularity AI to build what it calls the world’s first AI Office Suite.

Unlike a single chat bot, Skywork is a collection of specialized “super agents” designed to produce documents, presentations, spreadsheets, web pages and podcasts.

Each agent uses the DeepResearch engine to gather, cross‑reference and synthesize information from hundreds of sources before creating content in the appropriate format.

The platform supports English and Mandarin (with Japanese in beta) and exports to standard file types such as docx, pptx, xlsx and pdf.

Getting started – setup and first impressions

Signing up for Skywork takes just an email and a password.

I was greeted by a clean dashboard showing the five agents.

Each agent icon opens a simple prompt field, plus optional settings such as target audience, tone or citation style. There is no complex template library to navigate.

The interface uses tabs rather than nested pages, so switching between a document draft and the research log is seamless.

Onboarding tips appear at the bottom of the screen, explaining what each agent can do.

I appreciated the uncluttered design; there is very little learning curve before you can start experimenting.

DeepResearch in action – testing its depth

Skywork’s marketing highlights DeepResearch as the secret ingredient.

When I asked the Document agent to write a market analysis on the electric vehicle industry in Southeast Asia, it took roughly two minutes to return a nine‑page report.

The report included statistics from regulatory filings, analyst reports, news articles and academic papers. There were citations with hyperlinks, and an appendix summarizing key sources.

The narrative flowed logically, moving from market size estimates to consumer demographics and regional policy differences.

I ran the same query through a general‑purpose AI tool and received a shorter, less detailed overview without citations. For specialized topics like semiconductor supply chains, Skywork delivered similar depth.

It doesn’t just pull from the top of search results; it appears to cross‑check facts across multiple domains.

Specialized super agents – one tool per task

Skywork’s super agents are tailored for specific outputs. During my trial I used each:

• Document Agent – Ideal for reports and research papers. It produces sections, headings and inline citations and can write in APA or MLA styles. The first drafts were thorough but sometimes overcautious; I found minor repetition that I needed to prune.

• Slides Agent – Generates presentations with clean layouts and charts. I fed it my report on renewable energy and got a 15‑slide deck complete with graphs. The slide design looked professional, though it occasionally mis‑aligned icons. Editing within Skywork is limited, so I exported to PowerPoint for final tweaks.

• Sheets Agent – Transforms raw data into spreadsheets with formulas and charts. I uploaded sales data and asked for a monthly breakdown with visualization. It created pivot tables, bar charts and a notes column explaining trends. The formulas were accurate, saving me manual labor.

• Web Agent – Builds structured web pages with sections, call‑to‑action blocks and SEO headings. I tested it by summarizing a white paper into a landing page. The resulting page followed best practices for readability and included metadata. However, there are no custom CSS options inside Skywork; you need to export and style elsewhere.

• Podcast Agent – Converts documents into audio. It turned a technical report into a 12‑minute podcast with a neutral voice. The pacing was good and mispronunciations were rare. Voice options are limited, but the ability to create audio content without an external tool is impressive.

There is also a General Agent for miscellaneous tasks, such as summarizing PDFs, brainstorming ideas or drafting emails. It performs like an enhanced chat bot but still leans on DeepResearch, so answers include citations.

Real‑world productivity – my seven‑day experiment

To understand Skywork’s practical impact, I replaced my usual research process with it for a week. On day one I requested a competitive analysis of three e‑commerce markets.

The Document agent produced a comprehensive report with competitor profiles, regulatory differences and market size estimations.

I spent half an hour editing the narrative and verifying some numbers, but I saved several hours compared to manual research.

On day two I used the Slides agent to create a pitch deck for a client; the deck needed minor design tweaks but the narrative flow was strong.

On day three I tested the Sheets agent for financial modeling and found that the formulas it generated (like CAGR and variance) were correct, though I had to adjust formatting.

On day four I used the Podcast agent to repurpose the competitive analysis into an audio summary, which my team appreciated for quick listening.

The final days were spent on smaller tasks: summarizing news articles, generating FAQs and drafting a press release. Throughout the week I noticed that complex prompts led to longer processing times—up to five minutes in some cases—but the output quality remained high. Overall, I estimated a productivity gain of 50–60% in my workflow.

Pricing and perceived value

Skywork does not publish clear pricing on its homepage.

According to industry sources and my conversations with other users, there are tiered subscriptions for individuals and businesses. Individual plans seem to start around US$20–40 per month with limits on the number of tasks.

Business plans reportedly range from US$50–100 per month and include team collaboration features, higher research quotas and priority support.

Skywork positions its costs at roughly 70% of similar enterprise research tools, making it cheaper than bespoke research services but more expensive than a simple AI writer.

Without an official pricing page, potential customers may hesitate, and the absence of a free trial beyond a few test queries could deter casual users. For teams that require regular deep research, though, the time savings may justify the cost.

Strengths, weaknesses and data privacy

Skywork has many strengths:

• Depth over superficiality – The DeepResearch engine delivers rich, multi‑source information rather than shallow syntheses.

• Multi‑format output – You can move from research to documents, slides, spreadsheets or audio without switching apps.

• Citations and transparency – Reports and answers include citations so you can verify facts and follow up.

• Data privacy pledge – Skywork promises not to train its models on user data, which is a relief for those handling sensitive information.

Yet it’s not without weaknesses:

• Opaque pricing – Without an official price list or free tier, it’s hard to evaluate cost‑effectiveness before purchase.

• Limited customization – Presentation and web page designs follow preset templates. Advanced branding or custom styles require exporting to another tool.

• Processing speed – For very complex tasks, processing can take several minutes. Real‑time brainstorming still works better in a chat bot like ChatGPT.

• Learning curve for prompts – To get the most from the agents you need to provide context and specify formats; vague prompts yield generic results.

Competitors and alternatives – how Skywork stacks up

Skywork AI sits between consumer chat bots and full research firms. Here’s a quick look at how it compares with a few alternatives:

Skywork’s advantage is depth and multi‑modality: it digs deeper than ChatGPT and packages information into finished assets. Its disadvantage is price and lack of editing flexibility. For quick brainstorming or creative writing, ChatGPT suffices. For integrated project documentation, Notion AI or Coda AI might fit better. Users needing a dedicated research engine that outputs polished deliverables may find Skywork unique.

Conclusion – can Skywork replace your workflow?

Skywork AI impressed me with its ability to synthesize complex information and deliver polished content in various formats.

The DeepResearch technology feels like a significant step forward from the shallow summaries offered by many AI tools.

In my week‑long test, it cut research and drafting time dramatically, particularly for reports and data‑driven presentations.

However, it doesn’t fully replace human judgment; you still need to verify facts, refine narratives and adjust design elements.

Pricing uncertainty and limited customization options may also deter casual users.

If your work involves frequent deep research and multi‑format deliverables, Skywork AI is worth trying. For simple writing or quick brainstorming, lighter and cheaper tools might suffice.

Ultimately, Skywork is a promising addition to the AI productivity landscape, bridging the gap between chat bots and professional research services.