But at that point wouldn't it be easier to just search the web yourself? Obviously that has its pitfalls too, but I don't see how adding an LLM middleman adds any benefit.

For medication guidelines I'd just do a Google search. But sometimes I want 20 sources and a quick summary of them. Agent mode or deep research is so useful. Saves me so much time every day.

If only we could get people to use the brains in their head.

Not always, it can find stuff that is otherwise difficult for me and search engines have become much worse than 15-20 years ago.

Agree, I usually force thinking mode too. I actually like the "Thinking mini" option that was just released recently, good middle ground between getting an instant answer and waiting 1-2 minutes.