OpenAI has announced that it is testing a new memory feature for its popular conversational AI system ChatGPT. The addition of memory will allow ChatGPT to remember key details and preferences from previous conversations, making interactions feel more natural and efficient for users.
According to OpenAI, ChatGPT will now be able to recall information that users have shared with it in past conversations.
For example, if a user tells ChatGPT about their preference for meeting note formats, the AI could automatically structure future notes in that style. Or if a user mentions they own a coffee shop, ChatGPT could reference that detail later when helping brainstorm social media posts.
The memory feature is currently being tested with a small group of ChatGPT users, but OpenAI plans to roll it out more broadly soon. Users will have full control over ChatGPT’s memory and can delete specific memories, clear all memories, or turn off the feature entirely by navigating to Settings > Personalization > Memory.
OpenAI states that adding memory brings new privacy and safety considerations. The company says it is taking steps to avoid having ChatGPT proactively remember sensitive personal information without explicit permission. OpenAI also notes that memories will evolve based on user interactions and won’t be tied to specific conversations.
For enterprise customers, OpenAI believes memory could help ChatGPT work more efficiently by retaining details like formatting preferences, previous data uploaded, and more. However, businesses will be able to restrict memory usage and no customer data will be used to train OpenAI’s models without consent.
Along with ChatGPT, OpenAI plans to give developers the option to enable memory for custom AI models built with the platform. Each custom AI would have its own distinct memory that does not share information across other models.
OpenAI emphasizes user control with all new features, stating,
“You’re in control of ChatGPT’s memory. You can explicitly tell it to remember something, ask it what it remembers, and tell it to forget conversationally or through settings.”
The company hopes memory leads to more helpful, personalized conversations between humans and AI.
