Club Benefits
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Daily (Mon-Sun)
Tom's Guide Daily
Sign up to get the latest updates on all of your favorite content! From cutting-edge tech news and the hottest streaming buzz to unbeatable deals on the best products and in-depth reviews, we’ve got you covered.
Weekly on Thursday
Tom's AI Guide
Be AI savvy with your weekly newsletter summing up all the biggest AI news you need to know. Plus, analysis from our AI editor and tips on how to use the latest AI tools!
Weekly on Friday
Tom's iGuide
Unlock the vast world of Apple news straight to your inbox. With coverage on everything from exciting product launches to essential software updates, this is your go-to source for the latest updates on all the best Apple content.
Weekly on Monday
Tom's Streaming Guide
Our weekly newsletter is expertly crafted to immerse you in the world of streaming. Stay updated on the latest releases and our top recommendations across your favorite streaming platforms.
Join the club
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
OpenAI is finally rolling out a feature it started testing earlier this year that allows ChatGPT to remember conversations across multiple messages, instead of within a single chat.
Only available to Plus plan subscribers, Memory has also been given an upgrade since the earlier testing to warn users when memory is updated and to give users easier access to memories when an update occurs.
What is ChatGPT Memory?
Unlike custom instructions, which were launched late last year to allow you to provide ChatGPT with specific information and an idea of how to respond, Memory is more fluid and ongoing.
The idea of memory is that each time you tell the AI something important it not only remembers that thing, for use across multiple chats but updates the memory when you make changes.
It will get better the more it is used. Memory also helps make ChatGPT more personalized to your needs and requirements. This is useful if like me you prefer to have a new chat for each topic rather than continue everything in one chat.
How does ChatGPT Memory work?
Essentially it remembers bits of key information and stores it in a way that is accessible to any new chat session. It can then update that memory or let you delete any single memory.
For example, if you've previously explained that you want meeting notes formatted to have headlines and action items at the top, then ChatGPT will remember that in the future.
Or if you've told the AI you own a coffee shop then it will remember that information in the future, updating the memory with each new addition such as a new name or location.
You can instruct ChatGPT to remember something specific by simply saying "remember this", or letting it pick details it thinks are important. OpenAI says you'll notice improvements over time.
What has changed in ChatGPT Memory since testing?
Memory is now available to all ChatGPT Plus users. Using Memory is easy: just start a new chat and tell ChatGPT anything you’d like it to remember. Memory can be turned on or off in settings and is not currently available in Europe or Korea. Team, Enterprise, and GPTs to come. pic.twitter.com/mlt9vyYeMKApril 29, 2024
A few of the big changes since initial testing is around informing users which memories have been selected, updated, and stored. OpenAI has also made it easier to remove memories.
“We’ve also made it easier to access all memories when updates occur,” a spokesperson told Tom’s Guide. To access this you hover over “Memory updated,” then click “Manage memories” to review everything ChatGPT has picked up from your conversations.
Memory is available everywhere but in Europe and Korea. This is likely due to data governance rules in those locations. If you do have it, its pretty easy to manage past memories but if you don’t like the idea ofa memory you can turn it off, or try another chatbot.
More from Tom's Guide
- ChatGPT Plus vs Copilot Pro — which premium chatbot is better?
- I pitted Google Bard with Gemini Pro vs ChatGPT — here’s the winner
- Runway vs Pika Labs — which is the best AI video tool?
