What Is the New Memory Feature?
OpenAI’s ChatGPT now includes a Memory feature (available as of 2024) that allows the model to remember helpful information you choose to share across sessions. This makes future conversations more personalized and efficient.
Here’s a quick overview of how the Memory feature works:
What It Remembers
- Your name, preferences, and goals if you share them.
- Information you ask it to retain, such as your writing style, business details, or recurring tasks.
- It can help with ongoing projects by remembering context (e.g., a comic series you’re building or a website project you’re managing).
Privacy & Control
- You can see what it remembers in your settings under Personalization > Memory.
- You can delete individual memories or turn off memory entirely at any time.
- You’ll get a notification when a memory is created or updated.
Example Use Cases
- A writer could have ChatGPT remember their brand voice, client preferences, or publication guidelines.
- A developer might use it to recall project structures, naming conventions, or API endpoints.
- You could have it remember your preferred tone or how you format specific types of content.
Why Is This Important?
The new memory feature significantly enhances ChatGPT’s usefulness:
- No More Repetition: You don’t have to repeat the same information every time you start a new chat. ChatGPT remembers, so conversations pick up right where you left off.
- Personalized Responses: By recalling what it knows about you, ChatGPT can offer more relevant suggestions, answers, and assistance tailored to your needs.
- Smoother Interactions: The more you use ChatGPT, the more it adapts, making each conversation feel more natural and engaging.
User Control and Privacy
OpenAI has prioritized user control and privacy in this update. You decide what ChatGPT remembers and when it forgets:
- Turn Memory On or Off: At any time, you can disable memory features in the settings, stopping ChatGPT from referencing past conversations.
- Manage and Delete Memories: Easily review, update, or delete specific memories through the “Manage memories” option or directly in conversation.
- Temporary Chats: For sensitive discussions, you can use Temporary Chat, which doesn’t use or update the AI’s memory.
Who Can Use the Memory Feature?
- Availability: The memory feature is rolling out to ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers first, with plans to expand to Team, Enterprise, and EDU users soon. Free users in some regions also have access, except in areas with strict data regulations.
- Multi-Modal Support: The memory upgrade works across text, voice, and image interactions, ensuring consistent personalization regardless of how you use ChatGPT.
The Future of AI Conversations
OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, has highlighted the memory feature as a transformative step, making ChatGPT a long-term, adaptable assistant that grows with its users. This move also signals a broader industry trend toward more personalized, user-centric AI.
With full transparency and user control, ChatGPT’s memory feature is set to make AI more helpful, efficient, and human-like than ever before.
