In a significant boost to OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT received a memory upgrade this week that allows it to remember and reference all of your previous conversations.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced the update on X today, noting that it’s an important step toward AI systems getting to know individuals and becoming more personalized over time. The upgrade is rolling out now for ChatGPT Pro users and soon for Plus. Altman also noted that the memory features aren’t coming to the EEA, UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein (but wants Liechtenstein to give him a call).
Users who do receive the update will find two new memory features in ChatGPT:
- Reference saved memories: These are details you have explicitly asked ChatGPT to remember, like your name, favorite color, or dietary preferences.
- Reference chat history: ChatGPT can also use information from your past chats to make future conversations more helpful. For example, if you once said you like Thai food, it may take that into account the next time you ask “What should I have for lunch?” ChatGPT doesn’t remember every detail from past chats, so use saved memories for anything you want it to always keep in mind.
You can turn either of these features on or off at will. Head to Settings > Personalization, then toggle the features under the Memory heading.
OpenAI says the “Reference chat history” feature has no storage limit, but you can only store so many saved memories. If you run out of room, ChatGPT will tell you, and you will need to delete saved memories to make room for new ones.
Finally, OpenAI notes that “chat history” is exclusive to ChatGPT Plus and Pro accounts. If you are on the free tier, you’ll still have access to “saved memories.”
