OpenAI recently released a memory feature for ChatGPT, enabling it to remember details about users. For example, it will eventually recall your favorite movies and hobbies so that you don’t have to remind the bot in conversations. That may seem mundane, but it could be preparing us for another step in artificial intelligence development.
We might have AI programs that can sustain fluid, lifelike conversations in the future. After all, a robot would be a more natural speaker if it could remember details about others. The feature is only available to a few users at the time of writing. Soon, OpenAI might enable this feature for all users worldwide, so you should learn how to use it now.
How does ChatGPT memory work?
If you’re one of the lucky users who received this feature, it’s already active. Wired said you may turn it off by opening Settings, then Personalization, and then turning off the Memory option.
The feature lets the bot learn details about you as you talk to it. For example, keep on asking it about your upcoming trip to another country, and it would understand you like to travel.
ChatGPT may remember that you often need sunscreen, so it might recommend getting some when you ask what to bring to the beach. Alternatively, order the bot to remember specific details.
For example, say, “Please remember that I need sunscreen whenever I’m outside.” However, you should be careful about what you let the chatbot remember about you.
The OpenAI support page explicitly states, “Memories may be used to train our models depending on your choices and plan.”
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You may have a conversation without ChatGPT memory by selecting your ChatGPT version and choosing Temporary Chat. Also, you may activate the feature under the New Chat option.
Wired said OpenAI will save Temporary Chats for a month, but it will not use these for AI training, ChatGPT memory, or your chat history.
An earlier feature called Custom Instructions works like Memory. Unlike the latter, you must manually update it to learn new things and adapt. Learn more about that feature in this other article.